2. Kris Dunn, Point Guard
Just as the Bulls front office started to take 6-foot-4 defensive standout point guard Kris Dunn out of the limelight, he found a lot of success in his new role this season. Dunn was one of the best guard defenders in the NBA this season. For much of the regular season, he either led the league in steal rate, steals per game, or both.
A knee injury sidelined Dunn for what seemed to be the rest of the regular season, at least at the time. But the season would be placed on hold back on March 11 due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, so Dunn wouldn’t wind up missing all that many games.
Prior to that knee injury Dunn suffered a few months back, he played in 51 games with the Bulls (starting in 32 of them). Despite starting out the regular season with a role off the bench, he would still start in the bulk of the games that he played in. He averaged 7.3 points per game, 3.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and a whopping 2.0 steals this season. He shot 44.4 percent from the field, but just 25.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Moreover, the advanced numbers showed a lot of the progress that Dunn made in the season that is currently placed on hold. He registered a career best offensive and defensive rating, and a career-high value over replacement player rating (0.4). That went along with an improved true shooting percentage finally above 50.0 and a defensive box plus/minus rating above 3.0.
He could be worth re-signing this offseason if he’s willing to take on a value contract and sit in this newfound, more successful role, from this season.