{"id":117003,"date":"2025-01-10T19:19:29","date_gmt":"2025-01-11T00:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=117003"},"modified":"2025-01-10T19:19:29","modified_gmt":"2025-01-11T00:19:29","slug":"chicago-bulls-guard-ayo-dosunmu-return-trade-deadline-approaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/10\/chicago-bulls-guard-ayo-dosunmu-return-trade-deadline-approaches\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Bulls Guard Progressing Better than Expected, When Could Ayo Dosunmu Return and What Does it Mean As Trade Deadline Approaches?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chicago Bulls<\/a> guard Ayo Dosunmu<\/a> is progressing better than expected and could return soon. A couple of days after Bulls coach Billy Donovan<\/a> told \u00a0K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network<\/a> that Dosunmu wouldn’t amp up his recovery for another week, he changed his tune before the team’s 129-113 loss to Indiana last night.<\/p>\n

This was before last game and it has changed significantly. Dosunmu started running on treadmill and is improving. Donovan said he\u2019s \u201cgetting closer and closer to playing.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Chicago Bulls Guard Progressing Better than Expected, When Could Ayo Dosunmu Return, and What Does it Mean As Trade Deadline Approaches<\/h2>\n

Dosunmu suffered a strained calf right before Christmas and was given a 10-day re-evaluation period, which expired on Monday. Elias Schuster of Bleacher Nation<\/a> reported on Monday that Dosunmu had done some light on-court work but had yet to start sprinting, thus leading to Donovan’s previous declaration.<\/p>\n

Before the injury, Dosunmu continued his upward trend after posting a career season a year ago. Dosunmu, who turns 25 next week, was his best basketball of the season before going down with the injury and has shown improvement as a scorer and facilitator.<\/p>\n

Dosunmu averages 12.6 points, 4.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 turnovers in 30 games. He drains 1.3 threes a game with shooting splits of 49\/32\/79.6. He has also produced one double-double and his first career triple-double.<\/p>\n

It is unknown exactly when Dosunmu will return, but generally speaking, it is about a week after the announcement of ramping up.<\/p>\n

Chicago begins a five-game homestand on Friday against Washington.<\/a> The Bulls then host Sacramento<\/a> on Sunday, and New Orleans<\/a> on Tuesday, and Atlanta<\/a> on Wednesday. If Dosunmu is not back against the Hawks, he should return before the conclusion of the homestand against Charlotte on January 17.<\/p>\n

How Does Dosunmu’s Return Impact The Bulls<\/h3>\n

Chicago is 10th in the East with a 17-20 record and a -3.6 scoring margin. The Bulls, who are 5-5 in their last 10, are 2.5 games behind sixth-place Indiana.<\/p>\n

Chicago is just two games ahead of 11th-place Philadelphia. Granted, the Bulls have played the toughest schedule in the league thus far, with 25 games against teams with a .500 record (10-15).<\/p>\n

Chicago’s biggest issue all season has been on the defensive end. Offensive efficiency has also been an issue for the Bulls, the fifth-highest-scoring team in the league. The Bulls are a top-10 shooting team with a 55.7% effective field goal percentage and a 58.5% true shooting percentage.<\/p>\n

The Bulls’ strength is in the backcourt due to their depth, particularly on the wings. Coby White<\/a>, Talen Horton-Tucker,<\/a> Dalen Terry,<\/a> Chris Duarte<\/a>, LaVine,\u00a0and Dosunmu operate at the 2 and 3 for the Bulls.<\/p>\n

When healthy, Josh Giddey<\/a> and Ball have manned the point. However, White, Jevon Carter<\/a>, and Duarte have also seen time at the one.<\/p>\n

Chicago is 5-5, including 4-3 in the seven games Dosunmu has missed in the last 10. A big reason has been the play of Zach LaVine<\/a>, who has scored 30 points in five of his last six appearances, and White.\u00a0 LaVine missed one contest during this seven-game stretch.<\/p>\n

Chicago remains in contention for a play-in spot, at least until the trade deadline. The Bulls have been looking to unload LaVine and Nikola Vucevic<\/a> for some time. Lonzo Ball<\/a> has also been a name tossed around the rumor mill.<\/p>\n

Ayo Dosunmu’s Role<\/h3>\n

In the past seven games without Dosunmu, Donovan started Josh Giddey,<\/a> White, and LaVine in the backcourt.\u00a0 However, in the contests that Giddey and LaVine missed, Terry and Julian Phillips<\/a> got the nod in\u00a0the first unit, though Terry only played nine minutes.<\/p>\n

Ball, Carter, and Torrey Craig saw significant increases in playing time off the bench\u00a0in the three games he appeared in. With Dosunmu sidelined, Donovan will have to make a few decisions when He does return.<\/p>\n

LaVine, White, Nikola Vucevic<\/a>, and Giddey seem entrenched with the first unit. Donovan’s biggest decision will likely be choosing between Dosunmu and Patrick Williams<\/a> as his fifth starter.<\/p>\n

While the Bulls are just 7-10 with Dosunmu in the starting lineup this year, they have split their last 14 games with him in their first unit. The Bulls have been better recently with the 6-5 combo guard in the starting five.<\/p>\n

Chicago scored four more points a game during this stretch when Dosunmu was the first unit than when he came off the bench. The Bulls also have been better defensively, allowing two fewer points a contest.<\/p>\n

Chicago also shoots two percentage points better and is a passing team with Dosunmu in the starting five. At the same time, the Bulls give up a little 3-point shooting and rebounding. Similarly, in comparison to the last 14 games that Dosunmu has started, the Bulls scored as many points as they did in the seven contests he missed (per game), while they were two points worse on the defensive end in the seven contests he missed.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Dosunmu has been much more efficient as a starter.\u00a0 He averages 14.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists with shooting splits of 52.2\/35.5\/79.4. Meanwhile, he compiled 10.1 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists with shooting splits 44\/30\/80.<\/p>\n

What Does Dosunmu Really Bring To The Table?<\/h4>\n

Dosunmu is known as a two-way player who has improved his range and as a facilitator over his first four NBA seasons. While He has not shot the ball particularly well from the three-point line this year, he is a reliable, albeit average, 3-point shooter.<\/p>\n

Dosunmu is at his best off the ball and in transition, with 22% of his points coming on the fast break. While Dosunmu can create for others, he is not a shot-creator per se, though he does have the necessary speed to blow by defenders.<\/p>\n

Dosunmu is a lock-down defender. He always gets matched up with the opponent’s top offensive guard or small forward.<\/p>\n

Final Word<\/h3>\n

Dosunmu is a starter in this league, as is Williams. However, Williams is not the quality starter as Dosunmu and is very capable of coming off the bench, i.e., just as efficient. Dosunmu is also part of several of the Bulls’ top lineups.<\/p>\n

All signs point to Dosunmu starting over Williams if everyone is healthy. However, depending on the matchup, Donovan may decide to start one over the other.<\/p>\n

The problem is that Chicago has to look to the future as well as the present. It is possible that the Bulls will not be able to find a taker for LaVine, Vucevic, or Ball. After this year, LaVine has two years and $95 million left on his deal, though 2026-27 is a player option. Meanwhile, Vucevic is owed $21.4 million next season.<\/p>\n

White or Dosunmu Could Also Be Moved<\/h4>\n

So, while Chicago<\/a> would rather keep White and Dosunmu, the Bulls may have to trade at least one<\/a> of them if they can’t deal LaVine<\/a> and decide to re-sign Giddey, who is slated to be restricted free agent this summer, which Joe Crowley of the Chicago Sun-Times<\/a> said is a real possibility.<\/p>\n

White and Dosunmu have one more year on team-friendly deals.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018You\u2019re never out of the fire,\u2019\u2019 White told Crowley. \u2018\u2018Everybody is tradable. There\u2019s maybe, like, five guys in the league that probably know, \u2018Unless I ask to be traded, I\u2019m not going to be traded.\u2019 You\u2019re never out of the fire.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018I don\u2019t tend to worry about it because it\u2019s completely out of everyone\u2019s hands besides the front office,\u2019\u2019 White continued. \u2018\u2018Since I\u2019ve been in the league, teams have totally changed. Me and Zach are the only ones still on the team [from my rookie year], so I\u2019ve seen what it\u2019s like to have your whole team shipped out. I\u2019ve seen what it\u2019s like to have a different head coach from when I started, a different front office. So it\u2019s just business, and I had to learn that. And it\u2019s one of those lessons you better learn quickly.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu is progressing better than expected and could return soon. A couple of days after Bulls coach Billy Donovan told \u00a0K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network that Dosunmu wouldn’t amp up his recovery for another week, he changed his tune before the team’s 129-113 loss to Indiana last night. This was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3146,"featured_media":117159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,8,62],"tags":[3967,545,474,457],"class_list":["post-117003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-bulls","category-nba","tag-ayo-dosunmu","tag-billy-donovan","tag-nikola-vucevic","tag-zach-lavine"],"modified_by":"Daniel Benjamin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3146"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117003"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117299,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117003\/revisions\/117299"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}