Beverley's rise helps paint brighr future for Bulls' Dunn
One of the stars of the NBA's five-game Christmas slate was Clippers guard Patrick Beverley.
The Chicago native made the successful swipe at the ball, sending it out of bounds off LeBron James, that clinched the Clippers' victory over the Lakers.
Beverley has long been renowned for being one of the NBA's most aggressive defenders. As his star has risen this season, it's seemed to boost Bulls guard Kris Dunn. During the past month since he joined the starting lineup, it's been easy to envision Dunn becoming a disruptive, defensive-minded guard in the mold of Beverley or Boston's Marcus Smart.
"I definitely watch them," Dunn said Friday at the Advocate Center. "They're all good defensive players for sure. For people to say I'm in that category, I'm not going to take it as a knock. I definitely appreciate it.
"But we all bring something different to the table. I feel like I can create a little more. But at the same time, it's no knock. You put me in the conversation with Patrick Beverley, Marcus Smart, (San Antonio's) Dejounte Murray and all those guys, I'll take it."
The Bulls' improvement since Dunn joined the starting lineup on Nov. 30 has been well documented. They've gone 6-6 in December, compared with 6-14 before that, and rank second in the NBA in defensive rating this month.
Beverley will always be a local favorite since he played at Marshall High School and seems to embody that "Chicago toughness" people here love.
Dunn grew up in Connecticut, but he believes he has the makeup to match that intensity.
"I don't have to create it, it's there," he said. "You all see me play. You know I go out there, I play aggressive. Opponents, they know when I get on them, it's not going to be light. We're going to go to war.
"I take pride in my defense. I like being aggressive and I like amping my guys up. I feel like if I bring my energy on the defensive end, it picks up the level of defense on the whole team."
Perhaps the best way to measure Dunn's impact is by looking at the box scores. No one sticks to a single opponent all game long, but the shooting percentages can tell a good story.
Washington's Bradley Beal shot 4-for-19 from the field last week, the Clippers' Paul George was 9-for-20, Charlotte's Devonte Graham shot 4-for-14.
"Absolutely, I've got to see what the other guy went for," Dunn said. "If they had a bad shooting percentage, I did my job, the team did their job and I take pride in that. If somebody had a good game against me, just know I'm home ticked. I'm home ticked, but I'm going to bring it the next time."
Saturday brings the third matchup of the season against Atlanta guard Trae Young. So far this year, Young has averaged 12 points against the Bulls and made just 1 of 14 shots from 3-point range. Young averages 29 points overall this season.
"Just do what I do," Dunn said when asked about facing Young. "Against any player, I bring my aggression, I bring my physicality and try to make it difficult for them. Good players, you're not going to shut them down. They get an amount of attempts to get themselves going and have a good game, but my job is to make it hard for them the whole, entire game. If I can do that, then I did my job."
Most people didn't even expect Dunn to still be on the Bulls' roster, after they added Tomas Satoransky and Coby White this summer. But since Dunn joined the starting lineup, it's helped develop Satoransky's versatility. He just the had best three-game stretch of his NBA career.
"The beauty of Tomas is he can play on the ball or off the ball," coach Jim Boylen said. "He can guard multi positions, and KD and him seem to be getting some chemistry - who handles when, who runs which actions more effectively."
If the Bulls' lack of faith pushes Dunn's inner motivation, he hasn't acknowledged it.
"I'm just going to let my work do the talking," he said. "They say a lot of people forgot about me, that's OK. I'm not going to let nobody paint a narrative for me. my job is to keep coming in, working hard, keep working on my game, keep trying to make the team better and try to push for that playoff run. ... I'm trying to be here for a long time."
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls
Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks, Saturday 7 p.m. at the United Center
TV: NBCSCH; Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Outlook: The Bulls have beaten Atlanta twice this season, by 20 points on the road Nov. 6 and by 34 points at home on Dec. 11. ... The Hawks were 6-25 and had lost eight in a row heading into Friday's home game against Milwaukee. ... One difference in Atlanta's lineup is PF John Collins, who is back after serving a 25-game suspension for violating the league's banned substance policy. He's averaging 18.7 points and 9.0 rebounds in six games this season. ... PG Trae Young is averaging 29.0 points and 8.5 assists, but hasn't fared well against the Bulls. He's averaged 12 points and hit 1 of 14 shots from 3-point range in the two contests. ... Ex-Bulls PF Jabari Parker (shoulder) and C Alex Len (ankle) did not play against the Bucks. ... The Hawks have lost their last three games in Chicago.
Next: Milwaukee Bucks on Monday 7 p.m. at the United Center
- Mike McGraw