Illinois Basketball: Report has Ayo Dosunmu creeping up NBA Draft board

The NBA Draft is a day away, and the rumors around Illinois basketball star Ayo Dosunmu are heating up.

Ayo decided to enter the draft after his third year with the Illini. This decision didn’t come as a surprise considering what the young star managed to do with a floundering Orange and Blue program. His great play in the college game made him an interesting option for NBA teams in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Coming into draft week many mock drafts had Ayo going somewhere in the late first round or even early second round. I believe most pegged him as a late first round pick to a team that has had some recent success. Well, that may not be the case after all.

The Illinois basketball legend could be going in the mid-first round.

While most mock drafts have Ayo going pick No. 26 or later, Zach Harper from The Athletic is getting different intel.

In a tweet by The Athletic NBA, they reported news from Harper that NBA teams are impressed with Ayo and are becoming “more and more impressed with him.” Harper then goes on to throw out a few thoughts on where Ayo could potentially go in the draft.

Harper says that Ayo “won’t fall past the Lakers at No. 22.” This is the earliest that any prediction has the former Illini player going. Some of the potential teams Harper brings up that could land Ayo included the Atlanta Hawks at pick No. 20 and the New York Knicks at pick No. 19 or No. 21. He also mentions that the Golden State Warriors have a “real interest” in Ayo.

There is a lot to unpack from the tweet by The Athletic NBA. First off, it is awesome that they see Ayo going in the mid-first round rather than later in the first round or second round. The higher Ayo goes in the draft, the more money he will make in his rookie contract.

Let’s look at the teams mentioned by Harper. The Hawks at pick No. 20 would be okay, and I feel like Trae Young is going to get most of the spotlight there. He does need a running mate, and Ayo would be a good option. There wouldn’t be a ton of pressure on Ayo to perform immediately, as Young is the focal point.

The Knicks intrigues me greatly. They don’t have a ton of guard help right now, but they need someone who can help facilitate the ball and make Julius Randle shine even more than he did this past season. Ayo could help control the ball and get it moving. He would be great under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden as well.

Harper mentions that the Warriors have a strong interest in Ayo. This is a destination where I believe Ayo could see the G-League for the first year or so. By this time, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson will be older and potentially on their last leg in the NBA. Having Ayo then come up out of the G-League and be a great one-two punch with Nico Mannion would be great.

Finally, the Lakers were mentioned at pick No. 22. This is a win-now situation where I feel like Ayo would be needed to contribute some off the bench. I would be interested in seeing how this dynamic would play out as Talen Horton-Tucker also plays for the Lakers.

No matter what, Ayo is going to be picked, most likely, in the first round of the NBA Draft. Illinois fans can finally see a player go on draft night. Let’s sit back and root on one of the greatest Illini of all time.