Our player preview series for the 2026 Clippers continues with Kris Dunn, the Clippers’ best perimeter defender.
Basic Information
Height: 6’3
Weight: 205 pounds
Position: Shooting Guard/Point Guard
Age: 31
Years in NBA: 9
Stats: 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 turnovers in 24.1 minutes per game across 74 games played (58 starts) on 43.9/33.5/68.2 shooting splits (3.0 3PA, 0.3 FTA) for 53.2 True Shooting
Contract Status: In the second year of a 3 year, $16.2M deal, making $5.4M this season with a non-guaranteed $5.7M next season
Expectations
Kris Dunn was a bit of a revelation last year for the Clippers. While people knew he was a good defender and figured he’d have a nice impact on the team, I’m not sure anyone thought that he’d start most of the season and be an All-Defense First Team caliber player that raised the floor and ceiling of the Clippers’ defense. With the Clippers adding more talent this summer and trying to boost their offense, it feels like Dunn’s role will be smaller this year, but his point of attack defense, hustle, and energy are still important, and he seems locked into a bench role where he can come in and wreak havoc against opposing reserve units.
Strengths
Kris Dunn’s best strength is obvious: he’s one of the very best perimeter defenders in the entire NBA. A menace on ball, quick enough to take on small guards and strong enough to body up bigger players, Dunn is even better off-ball, as his instincts, speed, and swift hands enable him to rack up deflections and steals. While Ivica Zubac had the biggest impact on the Clippers’ top-five defense last year due to position, Dunn was a rare perimeter defender who truly swung the team’s entire defense. Add to his actual skills the intangibles of effort, intensity, and ferocity and you have a special defensive talent.
While Kris Dunn has his weaknesses on offense (see below), he is capable in a couple of key areas. Notably, the fact that he used to play point guard means he’s a relatively strong ballhandler that is generally able to bring the ball up the floor and handle pressure. In a similar vein, while not a brilliant playmaker, Dunn can make easy reads in the flow of the offense and is a careful passer that does not turn the ball over much. These skills make Dunn particularly nifty in four on three situations where he can take advantage of numbers to make the simple read and get open looks. There is definitely utility with having Dunn out there on offense.
Weaknesses
Kris is a well below-average three-point shooter for a modern NBA guard, making just 33.5% of his triples last year while attempting three per game. And as meh as those numbers are, that was by far his best three-point shooting season when combing volume and percentage in his career. Despite being at least a slight threat from deep, Dunn is just not a good enough shooter to make defenses really pay attention to him from behind the arc, which cramps spacing and can result in frustrating offensive possessions when he misses several open looks in a short span. If he was a better three-point shooter, however, he’d be one of the better role players in the league, so there’s a reason the Clippers got him for cheap.
Outside of the outside shot, Kris is also sadly not a huge threat to score inside the arc. He doesn’t get to the rim much, and when he does, he’s a below-the-rim finisher that can’t consistently punish defenses around the basket. Kris actually shoots quite well at the rim (71.9% last year) but is judicious with his attempts because he knows he can’t finish over people. That lack of slashing is partially why Derrick Jones Jr. is a more effective offensive player even though he’s not a meaningfully better outside shooter. In short, Kris is just not much of a scoring threat in the halfcourt, and that’s a problem for a guard.
Summary
Kris Dunn was a mighty pleasant surprise last year, becoming an instant fan favorite due to his insane defense and fun personality. There’s no reason to think he can’t continue being beloved by the fanbase this year if he maintains his defensive impact off the bench and helps keep the Clippers’ defense afloat even with the influx of offense-first pieces. In just one season Dunn skyrocketed up my ranks of favorite Clippers’ role players, and I feel quite confident he will be just as entertaining this season.
