Ayo Dosunmu isn’t a father, but he continues to prepare for Dad Life against the Atlanta Hawks.
The 24-year-old guard continues to put Trae Young in timeout. He looked like one of the most comfortable players on the floor in Monday night’s game, cruising to a career-high 29 points on 12-18 shooting from the field.
If you haven’t seen the highlights yet, do yourself a favor and watch them here:
Dosunmu is now 7-2 against Trae Young. He’s played a critical role in holding the Hawks’ All-Star to some of his least impactful performances of the past few seasons. And we might as well add last night’s showing to the list. Young shot just 3-14 from the field and 2-10 from downtown in Atlanta’s 136-126 loss. I went ahead and specifically evaluated how Young has shot when guarded by Dosunmu over his career. Using the NBA’s head-to-head matchup data, here is how Young has fared over the last three years …
– 11-30 in 2021-22 (3 games) – 2-12 in 2022-23 (3 games) – 2-5 in 2023-24 (2 games)
Now, to Young’s credit, he still dished 14 dimes and got to the free throw line for an 11-12 performance last night. Completely shutting down someone as talented as him is rare. Still, whether it be defensively or offensively, Dosunmu has undoubtedly proven to be one of the toughest matchups for Young.
“My length is able to affect him,” Dosunmu commented after the game (h/t Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic). But he’s a good player, and he brings competitiveness out. I love competing against him because every play you’ve got to be ready … I love it. Like I was telling Mo Cheeks, playing against him, it’s my third year now so we’ve had a lot of battles. It’s fun. Keep stacking them up. That’s why you want to make it to the NBA to able to play against the best.”
Props to Ayo Dosunmu. If I had his resume against Young, I’d be posting memes of buying him an ice cream cone and helping him with his homework after every win. Ya know, stuff like this …
Unlike in previous matchups, Dosunmu’s clamps weren’t the most impressive thing about his performance last night. We have to give him some immense credit for his three-ball. I’m not sure if it’s new player development coach Peter Patton or countless hours in the gym (or some perfect combination of both), but Dosunmu’s jumper looks better than ever. He’s now hit five 3-pointers in back-to-back games, and he’s also shooting a wicked 49.4 percent from long range since the calendar flipped to 2024.
Of course, Dosunmu’s success rate isn’t going to stay this high, but the fact he’s doing it on 4.0 attempts a night is encouraging. We’re seeing him take these shots with more confidence than ever before, and I want to specifically point out how quickly he’s getting into his shooting motion. The two clips below show clear decisiveness and a smooth flow to his stroke. Dosunmu has done such a great job over this stretch of getting his feet set and being ready for the catch-and-shoot opportunity.
What I find even more promising than the 3-point shooting, however, is what Dosunmu is doing as a halfcourt threat. Whether it be knifing through the defense on a hard cut or navigating a screen to get downhill, there is a greater understanding of how he can put real pressure on the rim. Dosunmu was 7-10 inside against Atlanta, taking full advantage of Clint Capela’s absence. Both the guard’s long strides and lanky wingspan help him create some extra space to finish strong.
The Bulls have some real building blocks in the backcourt. Coby White also put together another solid showing, scoring 10 of his 20 in the 4th quarter to put the game on ice. Meanwhile, as his shot struggled to fall through the first three quarters, he focused on setting up his teammates and finished the night with 7 assists. At the end of the day, this is what the rest of the season is all about. The more Ayo Dosunmu and Coby White make the biggest plays of the night, the better the Bulls will be long-term.
DeMar DeRozan looks ready to make one last push for a big offseason payday. The six-time All-Star has averaged 30.0 points on 51.9 percent shooting over the last four games – where the Bulls are 3-1. I will continue to focus heavily on the team’s young talent, but we shouldn’t overlook what DeRozan is doing while playing the second-most total minutes in the NBA. He looks prime to finish the year at an All-Star-caliber level after starting the year slow. Great news for him … horrific news for the Bulls’ cap sheet!
Former Bull and Raptor Thaddeus Young is headed to the Phoenix Suns. A small part of me wanted a Thadgic reunion, but I’m glad he’ll end up in a truly competitive environment.
Free agent F Thaddeus Young is finalizing a deal to join the Phoenix Suns, sources tell ESPN. More veteran, frontline depth for the Suns’ stretch and playoff run. Young has spent the past two-plus seasons with the Toronto Raptors. pic.twitter.com/Ilyq2leTx2— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 13, 2024
Speaking of the buyout market, I took a look at a handful of possible candidates for the Chicago Bulls. We’ve seen them add someone each of the past two years, and I expect them to do it again.
Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.
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