PC’s Dunn makes return to region
Rookie point guard earning minutes with young Timberwolves
Former PC star Kris Dunn was back in New England, as the Timberwolves faced the Boston Celtics
BOSTON — Kris Dunn could be forgiven if his mind was elsewhere.
In town with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dunn had his fingers crossed that he would be able to bolt for the TD Garden doors in time to catch the second half of Providence, his alma mater, taking on Southern California in a First Four NCAA-Tournament game.
“I’m a Friar for life,” Dunn proudly proclaimed while sitting courtside during Minnesota’s pregame shootaround.
Nearly one year after his spectacular career in a PC uniform came to an end, Dunn still holds a soft spot in his heart for the Friars. On Tuesday, he reached out to several of his former college teammates via FaceTime. He described the tenor of the conversation as more “hey, how are you doing?” as opposed to “good luck against the Trojans.”
“I don’t believe in doing that kind of stuff because it puts a little bit more pressure on them,” Dunn said. “We talked about different things. We don’t talk about basketball too much.”
Just like his college head coach, Dunn cited the Friars’ ninth-place selection at Big East Media Day as a chief source for motivation. To end up as the No. 3 seed in the Big East Tournament speaks to the program’s maestro, Ed Cooley, and his ability to keep the assembly line moving in the direction of a fourth straight NCAA berth.
“Coach Cooley … he’s always done an amazing job with the Friars. That’s my guy. Without him, I wouldn’t be here. He’s one of the coaches who believed in me and let me go out and play my game,” Dunn said. “The fact they ended up third in the conference, they should be proud of that achievement.”
Dunn did receive 300 of the bobbleheads depicted in his image that were given away at Providence’s final home game. Naturally, he appreciated the gesture on PC’s part.
“That was amazing. (PC officials) told me in advance that they were going to do it,” Dunn said.
Dunn also made sure to get the collectable in the hands of close family and friends.
“They support me and I sup- port them,” he said.
Life as a first-year NBA player has yielded a new set of challenges for the former Friar standout, who was taken with the fifth overall pick by Minnesota in last June’s NBA Draft.
For the first time in his life, Dunn is coming off the bench. Wednesday’s contest against the Boston Celtics marked his 63rd game as a rookie with all but six of those appearances coming in a starting capacity.
“When you’re starting, you can ease into the game. Coming off the bench, you don’t have that much room for error,” Dunn said. “You’ve got to make sure you’re making the right play every single time.”
Dunn came into the matchup with the Celtics averaging 3.6 points, 2.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds in 16.4 minutes while shooting 36.9 percent from the field. To further illustrate just how big of a leap it’s been for the New London, Conn. product, Dunn appeared in 66 games between his sophomore and junior seasons with the Friars.
“You’re always on the road and not home too much … a lot of games and practices. That’s why it’s important to find a way to be mentally tough and bring it every single night,” he said. “Once you learn the game, everything slows down and you get more comfortable and confident. That’s what I’m looking to do.”
“Like most rookies, there’s going to be ups and downs,” Minnesota head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Defensively, Kris is terrific. Offensively, he’s still learning the NBA-game but he brings a lot of toughness to our team that we desperately needed. I think he’ll continue to get better and better.”
Thibodeau was asked if it was fair to compare Dunn with Celtics guard Marcus Smart, a player who’s not known for his shooting ability but can impact the game in other areas – ones that don’t necessarily appear in the box score.
“They’re different but the competitive spirit is there,” Thibodeau said. “With Marcus, there’s a lot of intangibles that he brings. Deflections and reacting to the ball … those things wear on teams but they all go a long way towards winning.”
“I know Marcus very well. He’s very aggressive on the defensive end just like I am,” Dunn said. “If things don’t go well on the offensive end, you can always lean on your defense. That’s something you can control every day.”