The shots will fall.
That’s way down Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu’s list of concerns these days.
Dosunmu is more focused on emerging as the Bulls’ best two-way player, continuing to be looked at as a vocal leader and winning some meaningful games.
His shot?
‘‘Take the shots when they’re there,’’ Dosunmu said. ‘‘I understand that I put a lot of work into my jump shot; I’m not really worried about that. When it’s all said and done, I know that I’ll be at a certain percentage. That’s typically how it goes when you put the work in.’’
And he continues to put the work in, be it before practice, after practice or on his own at night. According to center Nikola Vucevic, the two players you can count on finding at the Advocate Center at any time of the day are Dosunmu and guard Coby White.
That’s why Wednesday was a bit of vindication for Dosunmu, even though the Bulls lost to the Magic. On his way to a team-high 21 points, Dosunmu shot 10-for-12 from the field.
Still, even with that highly efficient night, Dosunmu is shooting 47.9% from the field and a career-worst 28.2% from three-point range this season. For some perspective, he shot 40.3% from three last season and is a 36.1% three-point shooter in his career.
Dosunmu puts more stock in those numbers than he does in the first 20 games of this season. So does coach Billy Donovan.
The Bulls are playing a much different style of basketball and have led the league in pace for most of the season. With Lonzo Ball barely playing and Josh Giddey not as quick as Dosunmu is, Dosunmu has been the engine.
‘‘I’ve put a lot on him as far as the pace-setting for us because he’s so fast coming down the floor,’’ Donovan said of how Dosunmu’s role has changed. ‘‘Guys are running with him and he’s pushing [the ball] ahead, spraying it around. He’s getting into the teeth of the defense, flattening the defense out. But there’s probably been a sacrifice a little bit there with his scoring where he hasn’t had as many opportunities.’’
That is somewhat accurate.
Dosunmu has started only seven games but is averaging a career-high 29.2 minutes. He’s getting the same amount of shots and three-pointers as he did last season, but his shot profile has changed slightly. Because he’s playing on the ball a bit more, he’s not hiding out in the corner for threes as much.
But the thing Donovan admires most about Dosunmu is that none of that matters to him. Whatever job he’s asked to do, he does.
‘‘I just want to keep pushing the pace,’’ Dosunmu said. ‘‘That’s how Coach wants us to play, play fast. He wants us to get threes up, wants us to spray it around, play unselfish. If I’m asked to do that, I’ll do that. If I’m asked to play defense, I’ll do that, too. Whatever it takes.’’
Don’t expect that mentality to change, either. With Alex Caruso having been traded to the Thunder in the deal for Giddey, the Bulls didn’t really have a player willing to do the dirty work that doesn’t appear in a box score. Dosunmu asked for that job on the first day of training camp.
‘‘For sure,’’ Dosunmu said. ‘‘Because, at the end of the day, that’s how you stick around this league for a long time and that’s what winning players do.’’
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