Ayo Dosunmu has been waiting for this.
It took too long. The nearly seven months between his final game last season and the Chicago Bulls’ first preseason game this fall stretched endlessly over the summer. Scrimmages and pickup sessions with teammates weren’t enough. Dosunmu needed to get back to basketball.
After undergoing shoulder surgery in February, Dosunmu referred to his recovery as “exciting” despite its natural tediousness. He found enjoyment in the laborious process of rebuilding his strength and regaining comfort in his left shoulder. And despite the length of his overall recovery, he was back on the court shooting and handling the ball by early July — a little more than four months after going under.
The anticipation that built during a summer away from basketball has been clear from Dosunmu in the preseason. He averaged 16.7 points and shot 44.4% behind the 3-point arc in the first three exhibitions entering Tuesday night’s game in Denver.
A strong start to the season is crucial for Dosunmu as he tries to establish himself as a difference maker — and maybe even a starter — for a Bulls team in flux.
“I’m confident in my game,” he said. “Every given night, it’ll be something different. That’s something I can do — look at how I can impact the game and what the game needs from me.”
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For Dosunmu, making an impact starts on the defensive end.
He has been billed as a capable defender since his hometown team drafted him in 2021. His athleticism and length create valuable ability to switch on the perimeter, where he can overwhelm 3-point shooters while also bodying up to larger shooting guards and forwards.
But despite showing early signs of defensive savvy, Dosunmu hasn’t fully developed into a lockdown one-on-one stopper.
“If you look at his defensive metrics, they certainly don’t add up to what he’s capable of in my opinion,” coach Billy Donovan said.
The Bulls need that to change as the entire team turns its attention to the defensive side of the ball. That has been a weak point since the 2022-23 season, worsening last year after the departure of former defensive stopper Alex Caruso.
Donovan hopes to make systemic progress with a new defensive scheme this season. But fundamentally the Bulls are relying on major individual improvements from young players such as Dosunmu and second-year forward Matas Buzelis to shore up their defensive fortitude.
Despite Dosunmu’s up-and-down germination period with the Bulls, Donovan always has offered the same praise: “He’s fearless.”
And in Year 5, Dosunmu is working to balance that fearlessness with finesse. He’s trying to take fewer chances with the ball. He wants to bounce back to his shooting efficiency from two seasons ago, when he hit 40.3% behind the arc. And he wants to build dependability as a backup option.
Donovan has been most encouraged during the preseason when Dosunmu has pulled up after driving headfirst toward the basket, using a pivot or an extra dribble to locate a pass back out to the perimeter to sustain the play or to hit the open man.
“Two years ago, he would have been up in the air trying to throw it back to half-court, and it would have been stolen for a run-out layup,” Donovan said with a laugh. “You go downhill enough and make decisions enough, you start to learn what you should and should not do.”
Of course, there’s an extra source of pressure this season: Dosunmu once again is entering a contract year.
As a second-round pick, he originally signed a two-year deal in 2021, then re-signed on a three-year, $21 million deal in 2023. The timing of his second contract means Dosunmu could hit unrestricted free agency next summer at the same time as teammate Coby White, whose looming contract will be a focal point for the Bulls front office.
Vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas typically prefers to renegotiate contracts during free agency rather than extend players prematurely — and he hasn’t tipped his hand on his approach to either Dosunmu’s or White’s next deal.
Dosunmu’s performance this season will directly inform how he fits into the long-term plans, but he’s doing his best to put those if-then scenarios out of his mind.
“My main focus is taking it one day at a time, not worrying about next July or whatever that is,” Dosunmu said on media day. “(Free agency) is going to happen. The main thing that I have to do is stay in the moment, one day at a time, one event at a time.”
For now, Dosunmu is just relieved to have the ball in his hands again.
It’s unwise, of course, to put too much credence into the outcomes of exhibition games. Plenty of players have reeled off impressive preseason runs only to recede into their teams’ rotations once the season began. But this stretch of preseason play has shown that Dosunmu is ready to get back to being himself on the court.
“When you have something you love taken away from you, it makes your mind stronger and (makes) you appreciate it more,” Dosunmu said. “I’m more appreciative of the game. It’s something that gives me an edge.”