The steal of the 2021 NBA Draft: Ayo Dosunmu
CHICAGO (BVM) — Another Chicago guard is making his name known in the NBA, and yes, he is playing for his hometown Chicago Bulls.
When the 2021 NBA Draft approached, there was much speculation on what the Chicago Bulls would do. The team traded away their first-round pick in a previous trade that landed them two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic and now had only the 38th pick in the draft. Do they trade back into the first round or make a deal to get a veteran player to go along with their win-now mentality?
You can rarely find a player that can come in and contribute on day one from the second round, which is filled with players you will find in the G-league or overseas in the coming years.
The Bulls had their eyes set on a hometown kid from Chicago who played the last three seasons at the University of Illinois, Ayo Dosunmu.
Dosunmu was born and raised in Chicago, playing at Westinghouse College Prep his freshman year of high school before transferring to known powerhouse Morgan Park Academy.
Dosunmu started to hit his stride while at Morgan Park leading the team to back-to-back state titles in his junior and senior years with style. In his junior season, he was injured in the semi-final game and continued to play. As a senior, he broke an IHSA record with 28 points in the state title game.
Deciding where to play college basketball is never an easy task for a highly touted prospect, usually a long grueling process with many people weighing in on what you should do and what will be best for you. However, Dosunmu decided to stay near home and commit to the University
of Illinois, the school’s first five-star prospect, in 15 years.
All-Big Ten freshman team, Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player, first-team All-American, and the Bob Cousy Award winner are just some of the accolades Dosunmu won while in his three years of playing college ball for the Illini.
Dosunmu broke his nose late in his junior season, right before the Big Ten Tournament, he played, and played well despite the mask he had to wear covering his face. So Dosnumu called himself the “Masked Mamba” and arrived just on time.
The Illini won its first Big Ten title since 2005 under the helm of Dosunmu’s play on the court and leadership in the locker room. Donsumu decided to forgo his senior season and declare for the NBA Draft.
Dosunmu was seen as a formidable guard with size but could not shoot from behind the arc with the extended three-point line compared to the collegiate level. As a result, he was projected to be drafted late in the first round with some hope he could go slightly higher.
Most Bulls fans loved the idea of bringing in Dosunmu as he fit the role of a tough Chicago guard. He was a fan favorite while in college and recently got his jersey retired by the university.
Draft night came and nobody knew Dosunmu would drop into the second round but, luckily for Chicago, he did precisely that.
Dosunmu was selected with the 38th pick in the 2021 draft by the Bulls.
Fast forward six months and 45 games into his rookie season, the Bulls have the number three seed in the Eastern Conference, and what seems to be the steal of the 2021 draft in Dosunmu.
Donsunmu played spot minutes early in the season, sometimes not getting in the game. Then he started to get some minutes, and while his numbers weren’t eye-popping, he did play smart, hard basketball. When COVID-19 began to affect the team, Donsumu played 41 minutes in a game and played well, earning the trust of coaches and his teammates.
The Bulls will need more from Dosunmu, with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso being sidelined for six to eight weeks. Dosunmu has stepped up in their absence.
Since he has been placed in the starting lineup the last four games, he has averaged 14.7 points, 7.5 assists, 5.5 rebounds on an insanely efficient 64% from shooting from the field while guarding the opposing team’s best player more often than not.
With the way he is playing, Dosunmu should easily make All-Rookie Second team this year with a chance of being All-Rookie First team.
With the Bulls projected to make the playoffs this year, it’s hard not to be excited for what Dosunmu can do to make his presence felt there, just as he has every other time he got an opportunity.
