The Chicago Bulls entered the 2025-26 NBA season without starting guard and offensive centerpiece Coby White, who remains on the shelf as he recovers from a lingering calf injury. Ayo Dosunmu was expected to play a part in replacing him, but the Bulls are learning that Dosunmu is more than just a fill-in -- his own injury may be more devastating than White's.
The 25-year-old Illinois product missed Chicago's first loss of the season, a Nov. 2 defeat to the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, with a quadriceps injury. He was glued to the bench again as the Bulls hosted the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup of two 5-1 teams sitting atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Unfortunately, a pattern is emerging between Dosunmu's absences and the Bulls' struggles. (They had to complete their biggest comeback in five years to earn a win over the Sixers. Dosunmu probably would have made that a bit easier.)
Chicago Bulls need Ayo Dosunmu to stay healthy
Dosunmu missed the final 36 games of 2024-25 with a shoulder injury; before he went down, he was averaging a career-best 12.3 points per game on a career-high 9.8 field-goal attempts per contest, while shooting 49.2 percent from the field. He was also averaging career highs in rebounds per game (3.5) and assists per game (4.5). He was having a breakout offensive campaign in his fourth NBA season, both as a scorer and a playmaker.
The first few weeks of this year proved that leap was no fluke. Before the quad injury, Dosunmu was averaging 16.2 points with shooting splits of 58/48/85. Those percentages are all career-highs for the Illinois native, despite an uptick in volume across the board.
With Dosunmu in the lineup, the Bulls averaged 122.8 points per game and shot 50.3 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three. They got to the free-throw line 27.0 times per game, averaged 30.6 assists and outscored their opponents by 8.8 points per contest. With him out of the lineup against the Knicks, those numbers plummeted.
Chicago only managed 116.0 points, got to the charity stripe just 11 times, finished with more than two fewer assists, turned the ball over 14 times and lost by 12.
It would be naive to think that Dosunmu's absence alone was the reason the Bulls' winning streak ended at five. But it's almost equally as naive to believe they didn't miss him on both ends. His ability to get to the rim keeps the offense humming with ball movement and spacing. His strength and quickness would've been useful in defending Jalen Brunson and quieting Tyrese Maxey.
Chicago doesn't have any two-way players on its roster like Dosunmu. He's proving to be far more critical to the Bulls' success than the coaching staff and front office likely envisioned last summer. He's also making this offseason's White decision easier by the game, whether in the lineup or out of it.