PHOENIX — There’s been plenty of ups and downs to the start of the Phoenix Suns’ season, though the play of rookie forward Ryan Dunn has undeniably been a bright spot in the Valley through the first portion of the schedule.

Dunn was made a late first-round pick by Phoenix over the summer with hopes of emerging as a key defensive piece down the road.

Dunn’s managed to settle that impact right away while also turning narratives of his shooting (or lack thereof) around.

The Suns believe they’ve got a gem on their hands, and though Dunn probably won’t be winning Rookie of the Year anytime soon, he’s certainly still high in NBA newcomer rankings:

Dunn landed at No. 6 in CBS Sports’ Rookie Rankings:

“Dunn really turned heads at the start of the season when he went 11 for 24 from 3-point range in his first five games. That’s 44% from deep for those struggling to do the math. That alone would be crazy for any rookie, but when you consider Dunn was a career 23.5% shooter from deep in two seasons at Virginia, that bump in efficiency matters a ton. Through the first eight games, Dunn was averaging 39.4% from deep, but since missing one game with an ankle sprain, the come down has been sobering,” wrote Jasmyn Wimbish.

“Over the last six games, Dunn is shooting just 23.1% from deep on 4.3 attempts per game. He’s struggled to find a balance, but the positive is that he’s still going to get major minutes because of his defense. Dunn can use his length to stay in front of speedier guards, and use his strength to challenge bigger wings. He’s relentless in fighting around screens, and is always in the mix to make the right play on defense, which usually ends up in a deflection, turnover or a steal.”

Dunn fell just behind Jared McCain, Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, Carlton Carrington and Dalton Knecht in the rankings.

Our own Kevin Hicks debated if Dunn could keep his hot start to the season up – you can read more about that here.