After a 31-41 campaign, the Chicago Bulls went into the 2021 NBA Draft looking to add a talented guard to the mix.
With just one selection in the draft – the No. 8 pick in the second round and the No. 38 pick overall – the Bulls went with hometown hero Ayo Dosunmu out of Illinois.
Off of the court, this is a home run pick. There is no better way for the Bulls to get fans in the stands than drafting someone from the city of Chicago. The only thing that would top that is if they could start winning on a consistent basis again. That might not be too far down the road.
The Chicago Bulls are setting up Ayo Dosunmu for success.
Chicago’s roster this past season was a bit of a mess, but they did have some nice pieces. Coby White didn’t take a huge step forward in his progression, but he did manage to improve on his numbers. There is room to grow for the soon-to-be third-year player.
Nikola Vucevic was a great addition to the team this past season. He was the prize in the trade with the Orlando Magic. A nice big who can shoot the three-point shot is something extremely valuable in the NBA.
Let’s not forget about Zach LaVine. The current USA Olympic Basketball guard is only 26 years old and continues to improve on the court every season. LaVine had his best year in the NBA this past season averaging 27.4 points, 5 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
But everyone knew those three, among others, were going to be in Chicago when Ayo joined the team. A worry of mine was that Ayo was going to join the Bulls and be thrown to the wolves on a bad team. Careers tend not to progress in the right direction when this happens.
Thankfully, over the past few days, the Bulls have made some moves that not only improved their team greatly, but the moves will also help Ayo develop as a player.
One of the first dominos to fall for the Bulls was Lonzo Ball. The 23-year-old guard is coming off the best season of his career where he averaged 14.6 points, 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
Make yourself at home, @AyoDos_11 pic.twitter.com/zCeUoZgFb4
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) August 2, 2021
Chicago added more stabilizers for the backcourt when they brought in Alex Caruso. The springy athletic former Lakers guard isn’t going to put up 20 points per game, but he is more of an energy guy who will be a sparkplug for the Bulls. They haven’t had someone like that in years.
The final big piece I wanted to mention is DeMar DeRozan. The Bulls traded for the 6-foot-6 wing who is coming off a season where he averaged 21.6 points, 6.9 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. The Bulls needed some veteran leadership, and that is what they are getting with DeRozan.
With these three big pieces added to the backcourt, it enables Ayo to have a slower path to the NBA ranks. He won’t have to perform right away. Instead, now that the Bulls have great depth at multiple guard positions, Ayo can start in the G-League with the Windy City Bulls.
Having Ayo begin his career in the G-League will enable him to develop parts of his game that he couldn’t develop at the college level. I know Ayo’s three-point shooting improved during his final year at Illinois, but the NBA is going to help his three-point shot in ways the college game couldn’t. There will be more three-pointers in transition. There will be more movement on the court. There is more flow to the NBA game, and that is an adjustment.
The Bulls have had a great offseason. Their front office has made some moves that will help the team win now, and the moves will help the progression of Ayo’s career. It is time to get excited about Chicago Bulls basketball once again.