Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu is entering the most monumental season of his NBA career. Going into the final year of his current contract and coming off a shoulder injury that cut last season short, Dosunmu is facing a lot of pressure.
His injury severely limited him last season, but fortunately, he believes those issues are firmly in the rearview mirror now.
Ayo Dosunmu is fully healthy again for the Chicago Bulls
Even before he had to end his 2024-25 season early, Dosunmu was having a very down shooting year. He shot just 33 percent from three after a blistering 40 percent the season before (and on nearly identical volume, too). After learning the extent of his injury, it’s not hard to imagine that it was hurting him for an extended period of time before he had surgery.
But Dosunmu now seems to be in good spirits. He said that his normal offseason routine was not actually impacted by the injury because he had a couple of months to start his recovery before the end of last season. He was diligent in building his shoulder back up before going into his normal workouts.
It was a surprise to see Dosunmu have such a down year shooting the ball last season because so many other Bulls had great shooting seasons. The offensive synergy of combined long-distance firepower and elite playmaking from Josh Giddey empowered other guards to be prolific shooters, but Dosunmu missed out because of his injury.
Adding him back into the mix at full health will add another potent weapon to the Bulls’ arsenal. Not only has Dosunmu shown great shooting efficiency over full seasons, but he’s solid at attacking the rim. Even last year, Dosunmu’s 2-point percentage of 61 percent was unmatched by any other guard in a Chicago uniform.
It’s important for every team to have multiple offensive options and the versatility to score against different coverages. Dosunmu brings an additional level of scoring inside the arc that the Bulls otherwise lack. With his return, the team becomes more complete.
The 25-year-old's defense fits right in with the Bulls’ targeted transformation this season. The team has emphasized the importance of more physicality, and Dosunmu brings that. He was one of the team’s better defenders last season and excelled at turning defense into offense with fast break runouts -- partly why his 2-point percentage was so high.
The Bulls are pretty stacked at the guard position, and it’s not guaranteed that Dosunmu will get a ton of playing time even if fully healthy and at his best. It would be wise to trade him this season and get something in return rather than letting him walk for nothing if the franchise doesn’t want to sign him to his next contract. Still, having him at full health should increase his trade value at the very least.