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There have been just 33 players in Chicago Bulls’ (24-27) 57-year history to score at least 20 points while shooting 90% or better from the floor in a single game. Three of those entries have been by second-year guard Ayo Dosunmu who had done it twice this season.
He matched his season-high with 22 points in a Bulls win over the Charlotte Hornets on February 2; retribution for a 111-96 loss to the same teams that sparked another team meeting.
Dosunmu helped set the tone early – even before the game.
“I sent a text out in the group chat today early and just trying to explain the urgency of the season,” he said during his walk-off interview on ‘Bulls Postgame Live’ on NBC Sports Chicago. “We have 31 games remaining now and every game matters. We can’t afford to drop any games. We have to go out there and play like each game is our last. And we did that tonight and that’s just my mindset the rest of the season. Try to go out here and finish the rest of the season strong and go out with a bang and just try to keep winning and keep building great habits for our team.”
Ayo Dosunmu Set The Tone For Big Night With Milestone
Dosunmu got off to a hot start with 12 points in the first 12 minutes of action. He was efficient but mostly quiet the rest of the way offensively though he did hit a critical bucket down the stretch to put the Bulls back up by double-digits amid a late Hornets surge.
“I just want to be aggressive,” he told the broadcast of Adam Amin and Stacey King. “I know that they keying on Zach [LaVine], they keying on [Nikola Vucevic], they keying on DeMar [DeRozan]. I have to just make myself a threat, make myself a playmaker. Come out here and make them pay. When they do key on them, I think that makes our team a much better team.”
Dosunmu, to his point, avoided the shooting woes that affected his teammates in a fairly simple yet still interesting way – he just kept getting downhill and attacking the rim.
The day started out on a strong note for Dosunmu.
ESPN front office insider Bobby Marks tweeted out that Dousunmu, making his 49th appearance and, more significantly, his 41st start of the season just secured a (relatively small) bag next offseason.
“The local product is a restricted free agent this offseason,” writes K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago. “He stands to earn a significant raise…The Bulls should make every effort to make this negotiation a smooth one. He’s tough, versatile, and contributes whether he starts or comes off the bench,” explains Johnson. “While he still can improve his shooting and ability to run a team, he’s reliable and relentless. In-game failure doesn’t deter him.”
Johnson offered up the idea of a three-year, $30 million agreement and wondered if it would be significant enough to appease Dosunmu who could find himself a wanted man.
It is fair to wonder how – if at all – this new development will impact negotiations next summer.
Ayo Dosunmu Stepped Up
This could be a turning point in the Bulls’ season. Not that it will directly impact wins or losses but the Bulls have been looking for one of their other players to take charge on the nights when the big three aren’t at their best.
The Bulls’ top duo of DeRozan and LaVine combined for just 25 points while going 7-for-20 from the floor. They did contribute 11 assists, five rebounds, four steals, and three blocks between the two of them, though.
Vucevic was solid notching a 17-point, 12-board outing for his 30th double-double of the season, good for fifth-most in the NBA. He also dished out six assists and had a steal but he and LaVine combined to go a startling 2-for-9 from downtown on one of the few nights when the Bulls’ paucity of three-point shooting was a non-factor.
They did get strong nights from both Andre Drummond (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Coby White (20 points, 3-for-5 3P) but little from their other top contributing prospect, Patrick Williams.
Williams had just six points as he fell victim to the poor shooting night that affected the big three.
Bulls Still a Team to Watch
All expectations are for the Bulls to have a quiet trade deadline. Executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas has been adamant that he wants to give this group ample time to jell before doing anything else.
There are a few things that could impact his timeline with Vucevic in the final year of his contract and DeRozan having just one more year after this season.
Both players are also in their 30s.
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The Bulls also have to come to grips with the reality that Lonzo Ball is not coming back anytime soon. Messaging has tried to be upbeat amid an update from his father LaVar Ball echoing his son’s sentiments that he is not concerned about this being a career-threatening injury while both have put an emphasis on Ball’s age – he is still just 25 years old.
They would seem to still need to make better contingency plans than they did entering the season unless Dosunmu can keep surging and help them achieve similar offensive success as when they had Ball albeit in a different way.
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