Bulls Coach Encouraged by Key Aspect of Rookie’s Developing Game

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Ayo Dosunmu

The Chicago Bulls’ defense has been a sore spot for the team lately. The team’s defense dropped off drastically after guards Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball went down with injuries in mid-January.

The team has also struggled to defend bigs in the paint due to their lack of depth on the interior. The team recently got some good news when Caruso returned to the lineup in Saturday night’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Caruso made an immediate impact on the defense with four steals and one block. The team also looked locked in defensively as they held the Cavaliers to 91 points.

Bulls Rookie Impressing on Defense

While Caruso and Ball have been out, the primary defensive assignments in the backcourt have mostly gone to rookie Ayo Dosunmu. At times Dosunmu still looks like a rookie on the defensive end, but the Bulls have been excited with his progress.

A new article from NBC Sports Chicago looked at how Dosunmu has fared in rematches with opposing guards. It shows that Dosunmu has been doing his homework, having been important in seeing Cavs star Darius Garland get off to a 2-for-15 start. As K.C. Johnson wrote:

According to matchup data at NBA.com, Dosunmu has spent 23 minutes, 51 seconds directly matched up against Garland this season over three meetings. Garland has scored 29 points but with nine turnovers to just 13 assists.

“Any time I play against another good guard, I try to pick things up because I’m trying to get better each game,” Dosunmu said. “The information is there. It’s on me to take it and use it.”

It’s encouraging for the Bulls to hear their rookie speak like that and that he is looking for ways to improve. Caruso even admitted after the game that Dosunmu did a better job defensively on Garland than he did. Head coach Billy Donovan has also discussed how Dosunmu is a quick study.

“I’ve always felt comfortable from day one putting him on different people,” Donovan said. “The biggest thing you have to deal with is just the inexperience of him playing guys for the first time. But he’s a quick learner and he’ll figure those things out.

“I have a lot of confidence and belief in him because I know how competitive he is. I know how much of a team guy he is. And you just know he’s going to give everything and put everything into it. And that’s not to say he’s going to be perfect. But when he does make mistakes, you know he’s going to course correct and get better from it.”

Looking Ahead

The Bulls are still unsure when Lonzo Ball will be able to return, which means for now Dosunmu will continue to get the bulk of the point guard minutes. The Bulls are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference at 41-26.

In the team’s last 15 games, 11 of them are against teams that are currently in the playoffs. Down the stretch, Dosunmu could have matchups with Fred Van Vleet, two with Jrue Holiday, Darius Garland, Reggie Jackson, and LaMelo Ball.

Over the rest of the season, it will be interesting to see how Dosunmo does in rematches with some of these guards. The Bulls will need him to continue to improve down the stretch to improve their playoff chances.