Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu pulled off a feat not seen since 2017
Bulls point guard Ayo Dosunmu put in a historic performance Monday night vs the Milwaukee Bucks. Dosunmu did not record a single stat in the 26 minutes he was on the court, zeros across the board.
The last player to record this feat was Tony Snell back in 2017 . Tony Snell achieved the feat as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks, in a game vs the Utah Jazz.
Ayo Dosunmu was surprisingly impactful despite his stats
Dosunmu actually played some very solid defense, especially on Damian Lillard. Solid is actually an understatement to how good his defense was.
Dosunmu made Lillard’s night horrible. Lillard was limited to 14 points in 41 minutes on the court. Lillard was also held to a putrid 3-17 from the field, two of which were 3s. All thanks in part to Ayo Dosunmu’s smothering defense.
While it is funny to talk about pure cardio performances, Dosunmu deserves credit for an elite defensive performance against of the best guards in the NBA.
Monday night was Dosunmu’s second start this season and it is safe to say it paid off. Being able to essentially take Damian Lillard out of the game is something of extreme value.
What do the Bulls do with Dosunmu moving forward?
The Chicago native is only 23-years-old which is good. He has plenty of time to improve and expand his craft as a basketball player. Defense seems to be hard to teach these days, so a young defense first guard is valuable. If he can add 10 PPG and expand his skill set into playmaking, he could be a replacement for Lonzo Ball. That all depends on if Dosunmu can grow his game. But he has to add something to his game. A one dimensional player will eventually get exposed by opposing teams and made ineffective.
The NBA is largely position-less in the current day and age. Players need to be well rounded if they want to stick around and have a major impact.
With Zach LaVine being out for at least another month, Ayo Dosunmu should get more starting time. The Bulls are getting offense from Coby White and DeMar DeRozan right now. Dosunmu’s lack of offensive production can slide as long as those two continue to play well.
Dosunmu could be a staple for the Bulls for a while, but he has to improve offensively. No more Tony Snell-esque cardio sessions would be preferred.
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