Why Former Illini Ayo Dosunmu Should start for the Chicago Bulls

Ayo Dosunmu will go down as an Illini legend. The Chicago native was vital in re-establishing the Illini as one of the premier programs in the Big Ten conference. Since his time in Champaign, Dosunmu has played three seasons for the Chicago Bulls. After a strong rookie season and up-and-down Sophomore season, Dosunmu broke out during his third year. He established himself as a key starter and improved all facets of his game.

Heading into year four, it seems that the Chicago Bulls have started to embrace a rebuild. However, that does not mean that Dosunmu’s talents should be overlooked.

Why Dosunmu needs to start? ClutchPoints Jason Patt weighs in.

The Bulls are in a weird spot with their roster and the number of guards on it, plus an incentive to tank in order to keep the top-10 protected pick they owe the Spurs. However, if they actually do want to prioritize winning while also developing their young players, Ayo Dosunmu has a great case to start. The expected starting lineup of Josh Giddey, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic has little point-of-attack defense and projects as one of the worst starting defensive units in the NBA. Ayo isn’t Alex Caruso, but he would bring a much-needed defensive presence to the starting lineup and an improved 3-point shot, an important factor for a revamped Bulls offense that’s emphasizing more 3s and pace.

The problem, of course, is who goes to the bench. Giddey would make the most sense, but the Bulls didn’t trade Caruso for him just to bring him off the bench. LaVine coming off the bench isn’t going to happen given his pedigree and the fact that the Bulls need him to build his trade value back up. White would be a great sixth man, but he just had a breakout season and earned a starting role. Benching Williams means a four-guard lineup. This all could take care of itself later in the season with a LaVine trade or other factors. But despite all this, Ayo’s play last season and in preseason has made this a worthwhile consideration for Billy Donovan.

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