The Chicago Bulls received an unfortunate injury update to begin the penultimate month of the NBA season. 6-foot-5 do-it-all guard Ayo Dosunmu will undergo season-ending surgery to repair instability in his left shoulder.
Dosunmu originally felt pain in his left shoulder, which was classified as a stinger, as he exited an overtime loss to the New York Knicks on February 20. Days later, his injury was referred to as a shoulder subluxation. The fourth-year guard only missed three games, returning to take on the Toronto Raptors on February 28.
However, after favoring his shoulder for most of the contest, Dosunmu received additional imaging. The imaging revealed an injury even unbeknownst to Dosunmu—an injury he did not know how or when it occurred. The injury led to further instability within the shoulder capsule, which has resulted in surgery. The injury requires a multi-month rehabilitation, but the expectation is for Dosunmu to be ready by training camp.
Without Dosunmu in the lineup, Bulls' Head Coach Billy Donovan has turned to Dalen Terry and Tre Jones to replace the combo-guard's 30-minute-per-game workload. Terry has notably averaged 12.2 minutes per game since Dosunmu first left the lineup. He's averaged 5.6 points and 1.6 assists while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor.
Acquiring Tre Jones proved to be worthwhile following Dosunmu's injury
While Terry's contributions have been rather minimal, Jones has performed admirably in an expanded role. Jones has averaged merely 18.0 minutes per game over his last five contests. Nonetheless, he's contributed 9.0 points and 3.6 assists while shooting 64.3 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.
In Chicago's affair against the Indiana Pacers on March 2, Dosunmu and Lonzo Ball were absent from Donovan's rotation. Consequently, Jones received 27 minutes (the most off the bench), scored 11 points, and dished out six assists. The 25-year-old guard converted 5-of-6 field goal attempts and only turned the ball over once.
The former San Antonio Spur has now recorded double figures in three straight games. Over the same stretch, he's only coughed up one giveaway and converted 16-of-21 or 76.1 percent of his field goal attempts.
While Jones was merely a salary-matching throw-in in the Zach LaVine trade a month ago, he's transformed into a more-than-capable Ayo Dosunmu replacement. Dosunmu proved to be a steady, two-way presence, talented enough to start at three positions in a pinch, yet resourceful enough to come off the bench and lead the second unit.
Jones may not encapsulate Dosunmu's positional versatility at 6-foot-1. However, he fits just fine alongside taller guards Josh Giddey and Coby White in the starting lineup, and he fills the need as a primary ball-handler off the pine.
The Bulls likely didn't know it when the trade was agreed upon, but Jones's presence in the lineup is as crucial as the season winds down. He only has a year left on his contract. Thus, he may not be back in the Windy City next season. Nonetheless, these remaining 21 games are an audition, not just for the Bulls, but for the rest of the NBA.
With the Bulls projected to reach the play-in, there's still plenty to play for, and an experienced guard with 125 career starts under his belt is a boon for the Bulls rotation. Even though Chicago is already flush with guards, Jones adds a different element than many other Bulls. He's a sound decision-maker with an old-school point guard feel to his game.