The pick that a lot of Chicago Bulls fans were likely hoping for came their way on the night of the 2021 NBA Draft. The Bulls were able to snag the reigning Consensus First-Team AP All-American and Illinois Fighting Illini junior star point guard and Chicago native Ayo Dosunmu. A ton of Bulls fans were shouting for this move months ahead of the start of the 2021 draft.
Getting a Chicago native is a favorite pastime of the Bulls. But this pick wasn’t just special because it’s getting another Chicago native. Dosunmu was one of the, if not the, best players left on the board at the time he was picked at No. 38 overall in the second round.
And it looked like Dosunmu was on the Bulls’ radar ahead of draft night. He was one of the early interviewees for the Bulls around the time of the NBA Draft Combine.
All that executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley had to do here was wait until their pick in the second round came around. And the Bulls’ front office got it done at a position of need with a potential fan favorite.
It’s hard to see how the Bulls lose with this nice second-round draft pick. Dosunmu had late first-round talent, he is just one of the older point guards in this draft class.
Ayo Dosunmu a home run pick for the Chicago Bulls
Nonetheless, the Bulls are getting a truly special talent with this pick. Dosunmu can come in and fill the role of a second unit guard right away for head coach Billy Donovan. This could also challenge for some minutes along with to-be third-year point guard Coby White.
Dosunmu is a solid point guard on both ends of the floor. He was one of the top scorers in the Big Ten last season, averaging more than 20 points per game. And he shot nearly 49 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond the arc.
Although, it’s not just the scoring ability of Dosunmu that could make him a solid pick-up for the Bulls. He averaged north of six rebounds per game and five assists per game at Illinois. He’s got a tremendous feel for the game and runs extremely well in transition.
Dosunmu also can effortlessly find his teammates when he decides to drive and kick. The impact that Dosunmu can make on the glass with his 6-foot-5 and 200-pound frame at the point guard position is also what makes him special.
At the outset of the second round, it felt like the best-case scenario for the Bulls was getting Dosunmu with the 38th overall pick. There could be some big names picked after Dosunmu, but it’s hard to get better than this for Bulls fans.
This is likely to be the lone pick for the Bulls in the 2021 NBA Draft. Karnisovas and Eversley stood pat ahead of the second round, as they likely didn’t see any moves that were worthy of that.