Ayo Dosunmu, the permanent surprise of the Bulls

Even a lesser game, like almost all of his teammates in Sacramento, can’t dampen the praise Ayo Dosunmu has been receiving week after week since the start of the regular season.

In the victory against the Cavaliers for example, the game before the loss against the Kings, his defense on Darius Garland was remarkable. Nine times, the Cleveland All-Star tried his luck against Ayo Dosunmu. He only found the target once…

“Anyone telling you they knew what to expect with him would be a liar”confesses a leader of the Bulls to our colleagues at ESPN.

The rear course is indeed quite unique. Before the Draft, the Bulls were interested in his profile and, to top it off, he was a kid from Chicago. Except that the vice-president of the franchise, Arturas Karnisovas, pointed out to him during their interview that the Bulls had “ only the 38th choice”.

The franchise therefore thought that he would no longer be available at this time. Then the evening goes by, the choices too and we come to the second round of the Draft. Ayo Dosunmu is still a possible option and it is discussed among the leaders. Should we take it or bet on someone else?

“What he was able to do, the impact he had on our team to help us win games, it was amazing”

Finally, after waiting a long time to be called up, he was well selected by the Bulls. “There are no 37 players better than me”he said on Draft night. “Every day, it motivates me. 37 players were chosen in front of me. “

He certainly arrives motivated, but in a very ambitious franchise. She has just signed Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso and DeMar DeRozan, who all play at the back. The 38th choice of the Draft 2021 could therefore live for long weeks on the bench. But Billy Donovan throws it immediately and it quickly proves itself.

Ayo Dosunmu plays about twenty minutes per match and everything changes on January 15. With the injuries of Lonzo Ball then Alex Caruso, he is tenured. His playing time increases, his responsibilities too, but with his physics engine worthy of Joakim Noah, he connects good outings and breaks the “rookie wall”.

“He was huge” relates Alex Caruso. “Lonzo is injured, me too, two players who carry the ball. And we throw him in this position, probably the most difficult in the league. He was impressive. “

For the two months that he has held, he has been running at 11.7 points at 54% shooting success, 6.1 assists and 3.9 rebounds on average in almost 37 minutes.

“We asked a lot of him with the absences of Ball and Caruso”, recognizes Billy Donovan. “I don’t take it for granted. It’s a second round of the Draft and usually they go to the G-League. What he was able to do, the impact he had on our team to help us win games, it was amazing. He gives us a lot in a very, very difficult situation. He has a lot to take and if he is not good, we will say that it is normal, that he is young. But he has the answer to everything. “