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Billy Donovan bats for consistent excellence from Ayo Dosunmu

Consistency will be key for an up-and-coming player like Dosunmu.
Stephen Beslic|
Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

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Chicago Bulls

With injuries opening a seat at the table for Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, the former Illinois standout has sat down and feasted in February, averaging 15.7 points while shooting an incredible 55.9 percent from three-point land—a remarkable improvement from his sophomore season, where he made only 31.2 percent of his long-distance attempts.

Dosunmu has taken off this year, taking the spot of the injured Patrick Williams and flourishing in a Bulls’ attack predicated on shooting and quick decision-making and ball movement. As far as the third-year pro has come, Bulls coach Billy Donovan hopes to see more consistency from his budding star.

Impact the game

Dosunmu had a spectacular week, scoring a career-high 29 points against the Atlanta Hawks. He followed that up with a 12-point outing against the Cleveland Cavaliers—with all his points coming from behind the arc. Apart from the scoring, Donovan emphasized to his young studs the importance of impacting the game in other ways.

This includes playing solid defense, creating for others, and making timely plays that swing momentum in the team's favor. Dosunmu has shown flashes of this throughout the season, but Donovan wants to see it consistently.

“Can he put his fingerprints on the game? We talk to our young guys a lot about that stuff,” Donovan said.

“I think that’s what these young guys have to fight for where you play 10 games, OK one or two you play poorly, but the other eight you play inside of a box and you’re pretty consistent and responsible, reliable in those situations.”

Coachable young man

Donovan continued by saying Dosunmu is a strong-willed and coachable young man with a great work ethic and a desire to improve. This mindset will serve him well as he navigates the ups and downs of his NBA career.

“He’s got this stubbornness to him in a good way. I certainly never want to take that away from him, but there’s certain times when you do that it puts you and your teammates in harm’s way. Those are the learning experiences,” Donovan said.

“In my conversations with Ayo early, he wants it direct, and he wants it at him, and I’m fine with that. I think he responds better to that.”

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Stephen Beslic
STEPHEN BESLIC

Stephen Beslic is a writer on Sports Illustrated's FanNation Network. Stephen played basketball from the age of 10 and graduated from Faculty of Economic and Business in Zagreb, Croatia, majoring in Marketing.

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