NEWSLETTER
Ayo Dosunmu casually dribbled the ball past the halfcourt line with 7:40 left on the clock against the Washington Wizards. As Johnny Davis just as casually shadowed the third-year guard, Dosunmu did it again.
The 24-year-old went into maximum overdrive (literally) and left his shadow behind. Beautifully placed off the corner glass, the ball would hit the bottom of the net and give Dosunmu the first 30-point game of his career. By the time the final buzzer sounded, he would reach 34 points.
With only 15 games left in the year, it sure didn’t feel like we’d see Dosunmu reach that mark again this season. As good as he had been playing, the absence of Coby White opened the door for a volume shooting night. The Chicago Bulls’ Most Improved Player candidate was set to miss only a few games max. Not to mention – while nobody is denying that the performance was impressive – the Wizards own the single-worst defensive rating in the NBA. Someone was bound to go off against the 12-win team.
Ayo Dosunmu needed less than a week to prove that performance had nothing to do with circumstance and everything to do with his growth. Pitted against the Houston Rockets on the road, Dosunmu surpassed his career-high set two games prior. And he did it on fewer shot attempts. Dosunmu finished the game with 35 points on 13-18 shooting from the field and a 5-6 performance from downtown.
While the Bulls would waste their opportunity to get back to .500 with the 127-117 loss, Dosunmu was the only reason they stayed within striking distance. His newfound scoring confidence was on full display. The Rockets’ 8th-ranked defense couldn’t find an answer for the downhill speed and clever off-ball movement. The game was just a perfect example of how Dosunmu’s offensive IQ has grown. Not only does he know what he’s capable of as a scoring threat, but he’s now understanding when and who to attack.
We’ve talked about it ad nauseam, but Dosumu’s electric driving ability has completely opened up his game. We’re consistently seeing him blow by the first line of defense and use his length to finish strong at the rim. Perimeter defenders are also having to play the guard for the drive, which can sometimes only leave him more room to pull up for 3. Dosunmu is shooting a career-high 40.3 percent from downtown this season.
Indeed, Dosunmu has become one of the league’s most efficient drivers this season, which we discussed in far more detail earlier this month. One new stat I’ll throw on your plate, however, is his overall FG% since Jan. 13. A total of 64 players have scored at least 480 points since that date. Among those players, Ayo Dosunmu sits 16th in FG% (52.2).
Take a look (data via NBA Stats):
Giannis Antetokounmpo (837 PTS) – 62.0 FG%
Domantas Sabonis (614 PTS) – 61.7%
Jarrett Allen (573 PTS) – 60.1%
Nikola Jokic (777 PTS) – 58.7%
Zion Williamson (611 PTS) – 58.1%
Jonathan Kuminga (614 PTS) – 55.1%
LeBron James (614 PTS) – 54.8%
Pascal Siakam (618 PTS) – 54.3%
Anthony Davis (650 PTS) – 54.2%
Jimmy Butler (534 PTS) – 54.1%
Kawhi Leonard (662 PTS) – 53.2%
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (942 PTS) – 53.0%
Jalen Williams (551) – 53.0%
Alperen Sengun (526 PTS) – 52.8%
Bam Adebayo (535 PTS) – 52.3%
Ayo Dosunmu (496 PTS) – 52.2%
The only true guard ahead of Dosunmu on that list is MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Think about how crazy that is!
Overall, Ayo Dosumu’s effective field goal percentage is 57.9 percent, which Cleaning the Glass has inside the league’s 87th percentile. Not bad for a youngster.
Ayo Dosunmu’s Last Three Games
While Dosunmu undoubtedly went up a level starting at that Jan. 13 date shared above, he’s taken an even bigger step over this recent three-game stretch.
Dosunmu scored a combined 92 PTS on 62.3 percent shooting against the Wizards, Trail Blazers, and Rockets. This means he’s tallied the 5th-most points in the NBA over the last three contests!
| PTS | AST | REB | FG | 3PT | |
| vs. WAS | 34 | 9 | 3 | 14-22 | 4-7 |
| vs. POR | 23 | 10 | 1 | 9-17 | 2-6 |
| @ HOU | 35 | 2 | 2 | 13-18 | 5-6 |
To little surprise, this is the first time in Dosunmu’s career that he’s scored 20 points in three straight games. While it’ll be a tall task to continue this streak against the league-best Boston Celtics, I don’t foresee Dosunmu taking his foot off the gas anytime soon.
