Bulls wing Ayo Dosunmu has emerged as perhaps Chicago’s best player, despite a recent shooting slump, writes Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
Dosunmu, for one, is not concerned about his career-worst 28.2% shooting from 3-point land to start the season.
“Take the shots when they’re there,” Dosunmu said. “I understand that I put a lot of work into my jump shot. I’m not really worried about that. When it’s all said and done, I know that I’ll be at a certain percentage. That’s typically how it goes when you put the work in.”
Head coach Billy Donovan considers the fourth-year guard out of Illinois to be the pace-setter for the club’s blisteringly quick offense.
“I’ve put a lot on him as far as the pace-setting for us because he’s so fast coming down the floor,” Donovan said. “Guys are running with him and he’s pushing it ahead, spraying it around, he’s getting into the teeth of the defense, flattening the defense out, but there’s probably been a sacrifice a little bit there with his scoring where he hasn’t had as many opportunities.”
Through his first 20 games (seven starts), the 6’5″ pro is averaging 11.8 points, plus a career-high 4.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds.
There’s more out of Chicago:
- Surprisingly, the Bulls have an opportunity to qualify for the NBA Cup quarterfinals with a win against Boston on Friday, notes Julia Poe of The Chicago Tribune. Chicago is atop East Group C, alongside the Hawks and Celtics, sporting a 2-1 record in group play. That said, a win is unlikely against the reigning champs, who are 15-3 on the year and fairly healthy. Poe opines that it would behoove Chicago to loose as much as possible — including in the NBA Cup — with an eye on the 2025 draft lottery.
- Bulls rookie lottery pick Matas Buzelis is still dealing with a steep learning curve this season, writes Cowley in another article. The 6’10” forward has gotten a major playing opportunity thanks to the extended absence of starting four Patrick Williams. “[The playing time is] very important,” Buzelis said. “I’m looking at it as an opportunity to play in the NBA. I’m super-thankful to play. Every time I step on the floor, I’m thinking of it as a blessing. I’m not taking it for granted. But every time I step out there, I’m going to keep learning, keep getting better.” Across his last four games, Buzelis is averaging 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks in 23.0 minutes. On the year, he’s been averaging 4.3 points and 2.2 rebounds across 11.4 minutes a night.
- In case you missed it, backup Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball returned to action on Wednesday in a loss to the Magic. It marked his first action since suffering a sprained right wrist on October 28.