After a sophomore season where he averaged 15.6 points, 7.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game, Kris Dunn has decided that he will return for his junior season at Providence.
There was much speculation as to whether or not Dunn would opt for the NBA Draft, given his size and talent as a floor leader. According to DraftExpress.com, Dunn was considered a first-round pick if he had indeed left school.
The decision to come back has mixed rewards and consequences for him, and the Providence basketball program.
On one hand, the Friars return an early candidate for Big East Player of the Year, and Dunn should find himself on a handful of preseason watch lists for various national awards. The extra year of college ball also affords Dunn the opportunity to show NBA scouts that he can reduce his tendency to be sloppy with the ball, as he averaged 4.2 turnovers per game. He also has another season to work on his outside shot, as he shot just 35.1-percent from three-point land as a sophomore.
On the other hand, Dunn is already 21-years-old. By the time the 2016 Draft rolls around, he’ll be 22-years-old, and history isn’t kind to first-round draft picks, especially those in the lottery, that are that advanced in age. Another risk is the possibility that he doesn’t improve his turnover tendencies, and continues to be sloppy with the ball as a junior. One has to think that might hurt his draft stock even more than his age.
Right now, Draft Express has Dunn as the No. 14 pick in the 2016 mock draft, though there is obviously plenty of room for that to fluctuate.
