In the months since Ayo Dosunmu’s first start in December, the Chicago Bulls rookie became a regular feature in the primary rotation. But in the final weeks of the regular season, coach Billy Donovan has moved Alex Caruso into the starting lineup, bringing Dosunmu back into a reserve role.
Donovan hopes the shift will help the Bulls bolster their defense after an immense slippage in ball protection sparked a slide from first to fifth in the Eastern Conference. The move will also changes expectations for Caruso and Dosunmu as the Bulls attempt to even out their results in the final three weeks before the postseason.
“Since Alex had his legs under him a little bit, I thought just starting off with that group defensively could give us a little bit better energy,” Donovan said. “Bringing Ayo off the bench will bring his energy into the game as well.”
Dosunmu, 22, was a crisis choice for the Bulls at point guard, brought in to fill the position after Caruso and Lonzo Ball suffered long-term injuries during the same week in January. Donovan admitted he didn’t know what to expect from Dosunmu — the rookie didn’t play point guard regularly in college, preferring shooting guard — but Donovan didn’t have another choice.
Dosunmu was prolific in the role, averaging 11.1 points, 5.8 assists and 1.2 steals in his 31 games as the starting point guard. Although he couldn’t replicate Ball’s playmaking acumen or Caruso’s defensive savvy, Dosunmu rose to the challenge — a point Donovan emphasized while explaining the decision to move him back to the bench.
“It really had nothing to do at all with Ayo,” Donovan said. “With Lonzo and Alex being out, if you would have told us back in training camp that Ayo was going to be our starting point guard, I don’t know if anybody would know what that would look like. He has been incredible, man, but I’ve also asked a lot of him in a lot of ways.”
On its face, pulling Dosunmu from the starting group could boost the Bulls bench, allowing him to bring the experience gained as a starter to the secondary unit. But results from the first two games of the new rotation were mixed.
In Monday’s win over the Toronto Raptors, Dosunmu finished with 11 points, six assists and a block. The following night, he finished a minus-35 with seven points and only one assist in a dismal loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The entire bench struggled in the 126-98 blowout, scoring only eight combined points through the first three quarters before Donovan threw the white flag and benched his starters. Dosunmu’s secondary group gave up a 15-0 run in the second quarter that allowed the Bucks to pull away, putting a Bulls comeback well out of reach.
“In that group, it wasn’t necessarily one person,” Donovan said. “For Patrick (Williams) and Coby (White) and Ayo, (it’s about) being able to have a concentration and a focus on the things that are going to end up putting you in a situation where teams go on a run.”
Moving out of the starting lineup might seem to signal an easing of responsibility for Dosunmu. Instead, it shifts the rookie’s expectations as a leader from one rotation group to another. Dosunmu now leads a group comprised of the youngest members of the roster.
Three players under 23 lead the bench unit — Dosunmu, Williams and White — and all three have experienced vastly different seasons. Williams is fresh off a five-month absence, and White has been moved around into every possible position and rotation group.
Coaches and players are chipping in to help the trio of youngsters build the chemistry and discipline necessary to improve the Bulls’ depth.
“(We’re) just trying teach them the game within the game,” Caruso said. “Each possession is its own game, in a sense. You’ve got to figure out what to do with what the read is, what the look is, offense and defense, and then execute and compete. Those two things are mandatory if you’re trying to win.”
The Bulls have plenty of areas of concern after going 4-9 since the All-Star break entering their game Thursday against the Pelicans in New Orleans, but the bench unit often is at the center of breakdowns, giving up runs and struggling to create without stars Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević on the court.
This season taught the Bulls that health never is guaranteed — Ball is still sidelined indefinitely following meniscus surgery in his left knee, while key players such as LaVine and DeRozan cycle in and out of availability because of injuries.
To prove the Bulls are capable of succeeding in the playoffs, the secondary group led by Dosunmu will be put to the test. Although the young players at the heart of the bench are still learning, Donovan said he’s confident in their ability to grow in the next three weeks.
“The one thing I really feel comfortable about with Coby and Ayo and Patrick is they’re good workers and they’re really really competitive,” Donovan said. “They’ll get better the more they play with each other.”
()