In the week leading up to the first round of the NBA playoffs, young Chicago Bulls players are balancing preparation with the enthusiasm of reaching the postseason for the first time. Amid the crush of practices and film sessions, veteran DeMar DeRozan urged his younger teammates to slow down and enjoy the moment.

But the youngest players on the Bulls roster — guards Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White and power forward Patrick Williams — aren’t just headed to the playoffs for a learning experience. If the Bulls want to unseat the reigning NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, they’ll need their 22-and-under trio playing at its highest level.

The Bulls will ask the most of Dosunmu, who continues to carry responsibilities as the team’s secondary point guard after Lonzo Ball suffered a left knee injury in January and was ruled out for the season last week.

“We have to rely on him. I’ve got a lot of trust and confidence in Ayo,” coach Billy Donovan said. “These are real learning opportunities for him, but in terms of his readiness and competitiveness, I don’t have any concern that he’s going to give you his very best.”

The Bulls never expected to throw their homegrown draft pick into the starting point guard position, but Dosunmu’s growth quickly became a silver lining amid an onslaught of injuries. Dosunmu averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 assists as a rookie, coolly playing through the pressure of the Bucks defense in their first two matchups.

Dosunmu likely will return to a reserve role in the playoffs while Alex Caruso handles the starting point guard responsibilities. But after the Bucks pummeled the Bulls’ secondary rotations in their last two matchups of the season, Dosunmu’s ability to protect and distribute the ball will be critical.

“(Ayo’s) been preparing himself all year,” Caruso said. “The adversity and unfortunate circumstances of our team propelled him into a larger role earlier than we wanted to throw him into, but it’s been great for him to learn. In the long run, it’s going to be great for him and great for our team to be able to have those experiences.”

As the core of the secondary unit coming off the bench, all three of the Bulls’ youngest players will play a primary role in the game plan. Although he played in only 12 games since a five-month injury absence, Williams will be an integral piece to slow the Bucks’ size.

Since Williams’ return to the court March 21, coaches and teammates have encouraged the second-year power forward to regain aggression around the rim. Although it was a rest game for most of the starters, Williams scored a career-high 35 points in the season finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, bolstering his confidence in a win the Bulls hope will transfer to the playoffs.

White also could provide a boost with his perimeter shooting. The guard didn’t fare well against the Bucks — going 11-for-40 in four games — and his shooting was streaky throughout the season. But a well-timed hot night could make the difference to swing the momentum for the Bulls, who are already down a long-range shooter in Ball.

Shot selection will make the difference for White, particularly against perimeter defenders such as Jrue Holiday.

“That’s one of the biggest challenges for guards against them,” Donovan said. “They’re so long, you’ve got to understand what shots to take.”

Playoff basketball is different for plenty of reasons — higher stakes, higher quality of talent and higher viewership than any games these young players have competed in. But tactically, the key difference in a postseason series is playing the same team for four to seven games in a row.

With a full week to prepare, the Bulls are crafting a more elaborate strategy to neutralize the Bucks’ size and open up scoring opportunities.

“It’s a very in-depth game plan that we have to follow in order to give ourselves a chance,” White said.

But playing a series also comes with challenges. Donovan emphasized the importance of being able to quickly move on from losses, which becomes more difficult when players have to face the same opponent night after night.

Physically, the playoff schedule isn’t any more rigorous than the regular season, but the repetition requires a higher level of mental fortitude that younger players haven’t tested yet.

“This is a lot of guys’ first time going at a team this many times, facing them back to back,” Dosunmu said. “It’s going to come down to playing hard because the X’s and O’s are going to be exposed right away.”

()