Kris Dunn has out-played every other Utah Jazz guard this preseason, and deserves to start

The Utah Jazz should seriously consider Kris Dunn to start.

The Utah Jazz are still trying to figure out who should start for the team when the new season begins in a few weeks. Right now the team has started Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Talen Horton-Tucker across three games. Sexton has struggled, Clarkson is posting a near 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and Horton-Tucker is as inconsistent as ever.

Yet, the one player who has been anything but inconsistent is Kris Dunn. Through three games this preseason, Dunn is shooting 93% from the floor. You read that right. It’s an unsustainable number, and it’s not a sign he’s a fantastic scorer but it is a sign that he’s gotten better at scoring the basketball. Which is arguably the reason he was given up in Chicago.

He’s averaging 9.3 points, 2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, while just averaging 15 minutes across those three contests. Clearly, Dunn is off to a hot start, and with him being the best defensive guard they have on the team, it’s a bit flummoxing that Dunn isn’t firstly, being given more minutes and secondly, being given more opportunities to start.

Aside from Dunn, the one guard who has shown the most reasons to start him is Horton-Tucker. While he’s an inconsistent scorer from game to game, he is averaging nearly five rebounds and nearly five assists per game. He’s averaging 2.7 assists for every turnover, which is in part with Kelly Olynyk for among the best on the team.

Dunn makes the most sense to start, just based on what the offense can do around him if Clarkson ends up getting the second starting role. His defensive play-making possibilities can’t be denied, and his impact on the game is obvious.

For right now, Sexton and rookie Keyonte George are not playing well enough to warrant a starting gig, or even a spot in the rotation at this rate. George was never a serious contender for a rotation spot at this point in his career, he has a lot to work on, but Sexton’s struggles are very surprising.

Sexton, usually a reliable shooter, is shooting just 28% from the floor. Dunn’s out-played Sexton at this rate, and there’s no reason to not have Dunn out there over Sexton, at least in the interim.