Breaking out onto the scene in his rookie campaign, the emergence of Ayo Dosunmu has been one of the silver linings of an otherwise injury-plagued season for the Chicago Bulls. Drafted at No. 38 overall this past offseason, Dosunmu’s prospects weren’t likely to exceed an end of the bench depth role for the Bulls. It would not take long for the homegrown product to exceed those minimal expectations, however, as Ayo’s recent play has him looking like the steal of the draft.
While Chicago was no doubt excited to see their newest free agent acquisitions Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso dominate the minutes at point guard this year, their temporary injuries have ultimately paved the way for Dosunmu to showcase his talents in an increased role.
Since being promoted to the starting lineup on Jan. 15, Dosunmu has proved his worth by averaging 12.7 points, 6.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game to perfectly complement Chicago’s All-Star trio.
Perhaps most impressive of all, Ayo is accomplishing these numbers on insane efficiency, seeing as how he’s maintained a 67.1 true shooting percentage over this ten-game span. Dosunmu also leads all rookies that have played at least 300 minutes in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage this season.
Dosunmu’s growth as not only a shooter but a leader that knows when it’s time to defer and set his teammates up for open shots has been an invaluable tool for a team loaded with big-time shotmakers. The Bulls have been 4.9 points per game better than their opponents when Dosunmu has started.
However, Dosunmu is not alone among his peers when it comes to impressive rookie seasons. In fact, the 2021 NBA Draft class is already beginning to show signs of greatness. If a re-draft were to happen today, just how much higher would Dosunmu be selected?
Knowing what we know now, Chicago Bulls rookie and No. 38 overall pick Ayo Dosunmu would likely have gone much higher in the 2021 NBA Draft.
In the most recent Rookie of the Year update, Dosunmu has progressed all the way to the seventh spot in the NBA’s rookie ladder. His play is certainly beginning to be noticed at a national level, and more eyes will be tuning in on the former Illinois star with each subsequent game.
But if each team was offered the opportunity to redraft now that we’ve seen these rookies in action for half a season, would Dosunmu still fall to No. 38? I’d say that’s extremely unlikely.
Although it may be far too early to make any conclusive decisions regarding these players, this is how I’d imagine a 2021 NBA Re-Draft would play out given what we’ve seen thus far.
1. Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham has skyrocketed up to the top of the rookie ladder in recent weeks and has injected some much-needed hope into a struggling Detroit franchise. No chance they stray from this pick.
2. Evan Mobley, Houston Rockets
Despite a rocky start, I have no doubt the Rockets are committed to the Jalen Green experiment. However, given the chance to draft a clear star in the making in Evan Mobley, Houston jumps on the opportunity.
3. Scottie Barnes, Cleveland Cavaliers
With their guard rotation locked in and Jarrett Allen manning the center slot, the Cavaliers would still look for someone to slide in and immediately start at forward. No rookie has been as impressive as Scottie Barnes as a combo forward this year.
4. Franz Wagner, Toronto Raptors
Toronto would hate to lose Barnes in this scenario, but Franz Wagner has also had an impressive start with the Magic. Wagner would be a great fit with the Raptors in this hypothetical.
5. Josh Giddey, Orlando Magic
While originally seen as a reach at No. 6 overall, Josh Giddey has proven he’s the real deal and risen to the No. 4 slot in the rookie ladder.
6. Jalen Green, Oklahoma City Thunder
While Jalen Green has not had the greatest rookie campaign, his potential is impossible to ignore. For a Thunder team that’s willing to gamble, Green makes the most sense here.
7. Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
Jonathan Kuminga’s development in Golden State so far appears to be going well, there’s no reason for the Warriors to shake things up here.
8. Jalen Suggs, Orlando Magic
While it’s debatable if Jalen Suggs is the best pick to make here, I doubt the Magic would be disappointed to get their No. 5 pick again three slots later.
9. Ayo Dosunmu, Sacramento Kings
While I think a few teams above could most certainly make good use of Dosunmu’s skillset, the No. 9 spot is the absolute lowest I could see Ayo’s falling right now. As it currently stands, Dosunmu is a clear upgrade over Davion Mitchell and is the highest-ranked player on the rookie ladder remaining. Ayo already appears to be notably better than the six consecutive guards who were selected to end the lottery, and should fall no lower than this slot.
Fortunately, this scenario will never come to be and the Chicago native Dosunmu is right where he belongs. Still, it speaks volumes to the drafting ability of the Bulls’ new management team to find a top ten talent with the 38th pick in the draft.
Arturas Karnisovas has made a name for himself in this league by finding talent in the second round (most notably Nikola Jokic) and looks like he — alongside Dosunmu — will be an enormous difference-maker for the Chicago Bulls in the coming years.