(670 The Score) Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu didn't expect to bypassed in the first round of the NBA Draft on Thursday evening, but he sure was content with his landing spot once that did happen.
The Bulls used the No. 38 overall pick in the second round to select Dosunmu, the hometown 21-year-old who starred at Morgan Park before heading to Champaign and becoming one of the greatest players in Illini history.
"I know my talent," Dosunmu said on a Zoom call. "I know I'm a first-round talent. But you can't (ever know) what God has planned for you. And God wanted me to play for my city. So that's what I'm going to do. I'm embracing it. I'm grateful. I'm thankful to be in this position I'm in now. Now it's just about getting to work. I talked to coach (Billy) Donovan. We talked. We had a great conversation. I'm obviously excited to work and be the best player I can be."
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Dosunmu averaged 20.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game as a junior last season, when he earned first-team All-American honors. Dosunmu also earned all-Big Ten honors twice in his collegiate career.
The Bulls were drawn to Dosunmu because of his all-around game, versatility and good size, executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas said. Dosunmu is 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan, and he was superb at Illinois creating out of the pick-and-roll game while simultaneously being a menace in transition.
"My playmaking ability, my energy, that's all something I can translate to the next level," Dosunmu said. "My scoring ability. I'm continuing to get better at all areas of my game. Right now, all rookies are on an even playing field. It's a whole different world that we're getting ready to get into. But yeah, I'm excited to make it my profession."
Dosunmu called it an "unreal feeling" to land with his hometown Bulls. He'll now join a team that's expected to undergo a significant deal of roster turnover in the next week, as free agency is set to open Monday.
Karnisovas didn't put any expectations on Dosunmu as far as the impact he could make as a rookie or what role he'll fill, but with three years of college experience to his name, Dosunmu should have the chance to fight for a back-end rotation spot early.
"We hope for toughness," Karnisovas said. "So he's going to come here with a chip on his shoulder. Like I said, we didn't expect him to be available at 38. I'm sure he was expecting to go higher. So he's going to be motivated to come and work hard here. That's what we expect from him when he comes."
The selection of Dosunmu was the Bulls' only pick of the night. They didn't hold a first-round pick after conveying it to the Magic in a trade that brought them All-Star center Nikola Vucevic in late March.
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
