Getty Chicago Bulls rookie Ayo Dosunmu defends Cam Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets.
Chicago Bulls rookie guard Ayo Dosunmu has been playing well of late, even setting an NBA record during last night’s loss against the Boston Celtics.
Dosunmu, who started in place of injured Zach LaVine, scored 21 points, dished 10 assists and his 9-of-10 shots from the field, making him the first-ever rookie to ever post over 20 points, 10 assists and hit 90% or better in a game.
Great Shot Selection
The 21-year-old has a shown great patience when looking for his own shot, often waiting for opportune times to spot up behind the three-point line, or filling the lane in transition.
Dosunmu is hitting 53.8% of his shots on the season, including 44.4% from behind the arc, which has led to an elite True-Shooting Percentage of 61.8% – more than six percentage points higher than league average, per Basketball-Reference.
74.7% of all Dosunmu’s field goals have been assisted, including 100% of all his made three-pointers, further demonstrating his ability to play off of others, and understanding how to move without the basketball.
As for the assist department, Dosunmu simply hasn’t handled the ball a lot during his first season due to the presence of LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball. With LaVine and Ball out against Boston, Dosunmu finally had a chance to play more on the ball, similarly to what he did at Illinois when he averaged 5.3 assists.
His 10 assists was another sign that the rookie has more to offer and is capable of producing in multiple areas, if given the chance.
Over his past six games, Dosunmu is playing 29.4 minutes and averaging 10.0 points on 57.5% shooting from the field, including 52.9% from range on 2.8 nightly attempts. During that span, he’s also sporting a near 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover rate.
Defensively Solid
At 6-foot-5, with a 6-foot-10 wingspan and a sturdy 200 pounds, Dosunmu has also proven himself to be a highly capable defender.
Not only does Dosunmu move his feet well, he’s also mostly aware of not to use his hands too much, a frequent recipe for foul trouble, although enthusiasm sometimes does get the better of him. But at 21, it’s reasonable to expect improvement in that area.
Dosunmu’s long reach and low center of gravity has already given the bench a defensive boost, to the point where you have to ask if you can even justify removing him from the rotation when defenders such as Ball, Alex Caruso, Javonte Green and Derrick Jones Jr return from their injuries.
In the meantime, coach Billy Donovan is likely to give Dosunmu all the minutes he can handle, which could be a rock solid long-term investment for the Bulls, seeing as the rookie seemingly gets better on a per-game basis.