CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- In tracing through Kris Dunn's underwhelming tenure in Chicago, there was no singular moment that marked his shift in management's eyes from potential core piece to question mark.
It was a gradual fall. There were his prolonged injury stints midway through and late in the 2017-'18 season, then early on again this campaign. There remains his poor jump shot and lack of offensive efficiency. There was a leak to the media questioning his work ethic last June. And throughout, there has been an awkward on-court fit with the burgeoning Zach LaVine.
As his third NBA season and second in Chicago concludes Wednesday with Dunn sitting out the final eight games with a back strain, he faces an uncertain role moving forward. The Bulls intend to add point guard competition in either the draft or free agency.
Their intention for him remains less clear, with Dunn hoping to gain clarity in his exit interview late this week.
"It's a business," Dunn said. "They're going to do what they're going to do. I'm just going to control what I can control."
Dunn is no longer a presumed starter after a season of inconsistency at one point featured Ryan Arcidiacono, who entered the season on a partially guaranteed contract, beating Dunn out for crunch-time minutes. Assuming Dunn is on the roster next training camp – he's under contract for one more season and carries little trade value, but the Bulls wouldn't balk at including him in a deal if someone was interested – he'll have to win a position battle, be it for a starting or backup point guard role.
"I'm a dog," Dunn said. "I don't run from nothing."
Dunn admitted it was difficult to find his rhythm this season, which started ominously. After he missed the Bulls' first two games while on paternity leave, Dunn suffered an MCL sprain in his first game back and was sidelined for the next 24 contests. He later missed games with a migraine and a bruised tailbone.
Dunn averaged 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 2.3 turnovers in 30.2 minutes across 46 games, including 44 starts. He shot 42.5 percent overall and 35.4 percent on 3-pointers and acknowledged with all the team's injuries, "We couldn't find our rhythm."
"Up and downs," Dunn said Tuesday in reflecting on his season. "Had some good games, had some bad ones. I felt like my role kind of changed throughout the season. So I felt like it was a learning experience."
Notably, Dunn cited the Bulls' switch to a multiple ball-handler system shortly after Jim Boylen took over for the fired Fred Hoiberg in early December as a reason for his lack of rhythm. A career 32.3-percent 3-point shooter, Dunn has limited utility on the offensive end when he's asked to spot up, which was the case as the Bulls played through the explosive LaVine more often as the season wore on.
"That's just how I play, since I was yay high – I always had that ball in my hands," Dunn said. "If I knew we were going to do multi ball-handlers, I would've prepped for it over the summer. But going into the summer, my job was to create for others. If I knew we were going to do a multi ball-handler situation, I would've prepped for the summer a little different.
"Earlier this season, I was being aggressive and it kind of deferred away from Lauri (Markkanen) a little bit. So the next stretch, I kind of sacrificed my role and see how it went. You could say it was for the better. You could say it was for the worse. I really don't know the answer to that. Going forward, it allowed me to understand who I am as a player. And that's to be aggressive."
The only certainty for Dunn is that he'll have to elevate his game to matter in the Bulls' future. He cited a need to improve his whole game this offseason, which will notably include his jump shooting.
"A little bit of everything --work on my shot, get downhill, watch a lot of film and try to keep learning the game," Dunn said.
"I'm excited to get back in the gym and do what I do."
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
