A player that Bulls coach Billy Donovan can put out there on any opposing guard, any forward, and make their night hell.
For now, however, he’s in training. And some nights go worse than others.
Over the weekend, it was another shot at Darius Garland and the Cavaliers. On Monday, it was Round 2 against De’Aaron Fox after the Kings guard lit Dosunmu up for 33 in their first meeting last month. It again didn’t go great for Dosunmu and the Bulls.
Thanks to a lethargic first half, as well as 34 points from Fox, the Bulls blew an opportunity to move into the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, losing to Sacramento 112-103.
And while Dosunmu had a rough night, that wasn’t what put the Bulls (41-27) down 20 in the first half. Poor shooting in the first quarter, and then five minutes of horrible defense to close the second quarter were the main culprits.
Zach LaVine, however, wanted the finger pointed at himself.
LaVine went 2-for-6 (1-for-3 from three) in that opening stanza, and blamed himself for “tip-toeing’’ into the game. That’s why in the second half he looked ticked and played that way, bringing the Bulls to within three in the fourth quarter.
Too little, too late, however, and LaVine pulled no punches after the game.
“I’ve gotta do a better job with just my mentality,’’ LaVine said. “I’m going out there and I’m playing with some pain with my knee injury, but I’ve gotta have the right mindset. I can’t tip-toe into the game.’’
That’s why he finished with 22 points in that second half. LaVine stopped tip-toeing and started attacking, going 6-for-10 from the field, but getting to the free throw line nine times.
As for Dosunmu, he had one of his rougher nights, going 3-for-9 for six points.
Still, more valuable lessons for him to learn, with coach Billy Donovan having an end game in mind.
“Certainly they’re different kinds of players, but I think he reminds me a lot of Alex,’’ Donovan said, comparing his rookie to Alex Caruso. “Alex has a wealth of experience, but Alex can play the point, can play off the ball, he’s just a basketball player. I think Ayo can definitely play the point, he has shown that. He’ll get better with experiences and he’ll be a lot more seasoned with what he’s going through, but I feel fine playing him off the ball, I feel fine playing him at the point. He’s done a really good job.
“I don’t think he has the experience Alex has defensively in terms of knowing the league so well and being able to guard really one-through-four in a lot of ways like Alex can. Do I think he can get there with his size and length? Yeah. I think he gets to this multi-dimensional player that you just put him out there and you can kind of put him at any position and he’s going to impact the game.’’
Not bad for a second-round pick that some scouts deemed position-less.
What didn’t come out in all those scouting reports, however, was Dosunmu’s willingness to learn. It’s easy for young NBA players to feel like they are watching film and picking up tells from the opposition, but Dosunmu actually does.
“Ayo has done a good job of improving and learning,’’ Caruso said. “The biggest thing for him that has been valuable for us as a team is him getting this experience to run the show, to guard the best players on the other team.
“His range of versatility on defense is really big for us.’’
And will continue to be.
Yes, LaVine was back in the starting lineup against the Kings, but his left knee will remain a day-to-day ongoing drama the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs. And even when Lonzo Ball (left knee) can return to the starting lineup, Dosunmu will remain valuable. With how fragile the Bulls starting backcourt is, the former Morgan Park High School standout needs to be ready nightly for any role at any time.
The fact that he’s been preparing as a starter, diving deep into the opposition’s tendencies and using what he’s learned, could be key when the games matter most.
“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.’’
