Former Illinois basketball great and current Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu has started his 2025-2026 campaign with a bang and should be able to earn quite the pay rise if he can sustain this play.
While former Illini players are scattered across the league now, Dosunmu has led the way as the first marquee NBA player in the Brad Underwood era. Throughout his career, he has proved himself to be a reliable rotational piece, and that has been evident this season.
In the early stages of the season, Dosunmu has averaged 16.2 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game. A large part of his role has come off the bench, averaging 26.2 minutes per game, making his stats all the more impressive.
If he is able to maintain those numbers, or even raise them, he will be an incredibly sought-after asset this offseason. Good, consistent rotational pieces off the bench are hard to come by in the NBA, and Dosunmu fits that bill nicely.
Ayo Dosunmu would be an intriguing option for an NBA title contender
His ability to push the pace in games and lock down opposing players makes him enticing and raises his worth, but that could result in his tenure with the Bulls coming to an end.
Dosunmu’s qualities are exactly what contending teams are looking for, and despite their early-season success, the Bulls are far away from being true contenders.
Teams that are a piece or two from truly being championship contenders, like the Nuggets or Lakers, would likely find themselves vying for Dosunmu’s talents at the trade deadline or this summer.
Pair that with a front office that tends to be stingy, and Dosunmu may have ended up pricing himself out of Chicago. Regardless of where he plays, his bank account should be full, and Illini fans will root for him.