Ayo Dosunmu will miss the remainder of the Chicago Bulls season to get a jump start on recovery from a surgical procedure that Bulls coach Billy Donovan labeled inevitable.
Dosunmu is expected to undergo surgery soon to alleviate left shoulder instability, the Bulls announced Sunday. A date for the procedure hasn’t been announced.
“He wasn’t feeling right,” Donovan told reporters following the Bulls’ 127-112 road loss at Indiana.
Dosunmu missed three consecutive contests with discomfort in his shoulder. He returned to the lineup last Friday in the Bulls’ overtime win at home against the Toronto Raptors wearing a protective black sleeve on the shoulder.
Ayo Dosunmu, wearing his shoulder sleeve, gets a hug from Coby White during the Bulls’ overtime contest Friday against the Toronto Raptors. (Patrick Gorski / Imagn Images)
After additional evaluation from training and medical professionals, Dosunmu and the Bulls opted for surgery now in part because Dosunmu would have bounced in and out of the lineup managing discomfort. Additionally, with a long recovery expected following surgery, the goal is to have Dosunmu healthy in time for the start of next season.
“That was part of it,” Donovan said. “The other part was even if you do get him back, and he feels good and he’s out there, you just don’t know when it’s going to happen again. It’s almost like it’s inevitable he has to have the surgery. Why put it off and try to get through 20 to 22 games here where he may be in, he may be out?
“Inevitably, you’re going to wait until the end of the season and then have him go do surgery anyway. Why not just do it now and expedite maybe a month and a half off the recovery, where he gets that back in the offseason to kind of get himself whole?”
In Dosunmu’s absence, the Bulls must turn to third-year guard Dalen Terry, who started Sunday’s game against the Pacers, as well as recently acquired Tre Jones and veteran Jevon Carter. Terry scored two points on 1-of-5 shooting with one rebound and one assist in 19 minutes Sunday. Terry’s size and length at 6 feet 7, as well as his rebounding and facilitating skills, give the Bulls a versatile option. Sunday, however, also showed Terry still requires more development.
The Bulls also are without fifth-year forward Patrick Williams, who is recovering from a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection to treat tendinosis in his right knee. Starting center Nikola Vučević also has missed the last four games with a right calf strain. Donovan said Williams is scheduled to ramp up basketball activity this week and is progressing toward returning.
“If he can respond this week and respond well, I would hope by next week there’s an opportunity,” Donovan said. “Maybe it’s on the Florida trip. Maybe soon after that. But he’s certainly going in the right direction and moving closer to playing and hasn’t had any setbacks. Now, the biggest thing is just getting him on the court and ramping him up.”
Dosunmu has one year remaining on his contract at $7.5 million, which makes his contract one of the league’s biggest bargains. The 25-year-old Chicago native ranks among the team’s best two-way performers and most consistent players. In his fourth season, Dosunmu averaged 12.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 30.3 minutes per game.
The Bulls have leaned on Dosunmu as an effective perimeter defense since his rookie season in 2021-22. He’s also served as a lead ballhandler and playmaker, a proficient spot-up shooter and a sneaky-good offensive rebounder. Dosunmu’s speed in transition has become a staple of his scoring, and Donovan on Sunday praised him as being key to the Bulls’ ability to play at a breakneck speed.
Dosunmu’s relentless attacking style turned him into a highly efficient scorer and a much-needed weapon. The Bulls don’t have another player who can truly replicate what he does. He generated 59 percent of his scoring from within 5 feet, often blowing by defenders in transition and using his quick first step in the half court. Dosunmu had a 66 percent conversion rate from within 5 feet, a career high.
“He has a pretty big catalyst to the speed and pace at which we were trying to play,” Donovan said. “Not only for our team, I thought it generated easy stuff for him with his speed in the open floor. Identity-wise, he did a great job. The other part for him is not only the speed and pace of what he was doing, but also the ability to get downhill: attack the paint, attack the basket.
“I think his shooting has gotten better. I think his overall game has gotten better. In terms of trying to build out how we’re trying other play, I think he fits in really well to how we’ve tried to play.”
(Top photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
