CHICAGO — Ayo Dosunmu’s rapid ascension to the starting point guard position came as a surprise in his rookie season.
The plan was to split the second-round draft pick’s time between the Chicago Bulls and the Windy City Bulls, allowing for a more gradual progression into a rotational role. Instead, injuries thrust the rookie into the Bulls starting lineup.
Expectations are higher for Dosunmu this season. And with Lonzo Ball’s injury stretching on indefinitely, the starting point guard position is once again Dosunmu’s for the taking.
Coach Billy Donovan hasn’t shown his hand on a point guard preference in the first week of training camp. After a summer in the gym, Dosunmu feels ready for the competition.
“I’m a competitor, so whenever I step on the court, whether I’m starting or not, I’m going to go out there and compete,” Dosunmu said. “When you win, everybody eats, everybody looks good, and that’s the best thing I should do.”
After impressing as a rookie, the key to Dosunmu’s second year is his ability to start — and finish — the season.
Dosunmu’s production saw a definite drop in the final month of the regular season. He didn’t score a point in the first two games of the first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, struggling to make an impact even in the team’s lone win.
This rookie wall is a common occurrence. Dosunmu particularly felt the exhaustion in his legs, dragging as the length of the NBA season eclipsed the stamina previously needed to survive a 33-game college season.
Endurance became Dosunmu’s fixation in the offseason. Before the season even ended, he informed assistant coaches Chris Fleming and Josh Longstaff he wanted to prepare daily summer workouts to increase his stamina and speed.
“I want to be able to go up and down four or five times without getting tired,” Dosunmu said.
Outside of a visit to his agency in Miami and a team trip to Los Angeles, Dosunmu spent most of the summer in the Bulls facility, logging workouts that began at 6 a.m.
Dosunmu said he added 6 or 7 pounds over the summer, raising his weight from 194 pounds to around 200 to start training camp.
“I feel a lot stronger, even just taking those bumps out there or trying to keep my defender in front or finish at the rim,” Dosunmu said. “Every aspect of my game I wanted to feel stronger than last year.”
Physical preparation can help Dosunmu outlast the lengthy regular season, but last year’s drop-off was also affected by his opponents.
When the Bulls put Dosunmu in the starting lineup to replace Ball, he was an unknown quantity. He hadn’t even played much point guard in college, creating a dearth in film for opponents.
As the season progressed, Dosunmu and Donovan both noticed opponents beginning to learn the young guard’s habits.
“The more these younger players play and more players from different teams and coaches start to watch film, they’ll start to get a better pulse on how to guard someone,” Donovan said. “That was certainly the case with Ayo.”
Despite his breakout success as a rookie, Dosunmu will need to do more this season to earn the starting point guard role. Donovan noted that Dosunmu covered the basics effectively — protecting the ball, limiting turnovers and staying steady in high-pressure situations.
“Random” is a key word for Donovan, who felt the Bulls slipped into predictable patterns when they were limited by injuries last season. The youth of the Bulls roster amid injuries deepened their predictability — as young players such as Dosunmu scrambled to keep up with the pace of the NBA, they struggled to analyze the game with the speed of a more seasoned veteran.
Donovan said he spent much of last season coaching Dosunmu from the sideline, providing the rookie with plays more regularly than he would to an experienced guard such as Ball or Alex Caruso. This season, Donovan will challenge Dosunmu to push the pace in transition and make plays rather than relying on set schemes.
“As a point guard, he’s got to be able to balance the floor,” Donovan said. “He’s got to get guys in the right spots. He’s got to be able to handle those things. That will be another step for him to learn.”
Dosunmu said he’ll still consider himself a rookie until he steps on the court this season, and he approaches each day of training camp with that mentality.
At media day, Zach LaVine described Dosunmu as the “most inquisitive guy” he ever had met. True to form, Dosunmu spent 20 minutes before Wednesday’s training camp session with new guard Goran Dragić, asking the 14-year veteran about his career.
The natural desire to learn is the root of why the Bulls have never lacked confidence in Dosunmu’s ability to adapt and grow.
“I don’t really worry about Ayo in terms of challenges being presented to him,” Donovan said. “He always seems to rise to those challenges.”
