Ayo Dosunmu reaffirms himself as an NBA Rising Star: ‘I think I’m one of the best,’ the Chicago Bulls guard says

SALT LAKE CITY — Before every season, Ayo Dosunmu sits down with his family to set goals for the year.

It’s a grounding practice, a way to make sure he doesn’t get lost in the tumult of an 82-game season — and to make sure the entire Dosunmu family knows how to best support Ayo.

This season wasn’t any different. Some of Dosunmu’s goals focused on the Bulls as a team: finish ranked sixth or higher in the Eastern Conference, make it to the second round of the playoffs. Others focused on his personal development: grow his assist statistics, improve his 3-point shot and make the All-Star Rising Stars game for a second consecutive year.

Those goals are a road map, not a rule. So when Dosunmu wasn’t initially named to the Rising Stars game — which honors the most talented first- and second-year players in the league — he didn’t allow it to get him down.

But when Dosunmu was tapped Thursday as an injury replacement, it offered a reminder of how far the second-year guard has come in the last year — from a second-round pick to a starting point guard for his hometown team.

“It’s a testament of my hard work — not just myself and my family,” Dosunmu said. “I think I’m one of the best. That’s the way I believe. I’m pretty sure you ask anyone in the room that question, they tell you the same answer.”

For Dosunmu, it always has been about family first. That’s how this weekend was meant to be spent — at home in Chicago in the gym with his father, Quam, and his brother, Kube.

The game encapsulated the community woven through Chicago and Illinois that has lifted and supported Dosunmu. Former Illinois great Deron Williams coached Dosunmu’s Rising Stars team just two years after mentoring the guard through the draft process. Bulls teammate DeMar DeRozan settled himself into a courtside seat, grinning when Dosunmu splashed a pair of midrange jump shots from just feet away.

This community carried a significance his family felt deeply throughout the day.

“Surreal,” Quam said. “Words can’t describe it.”

That was only enhanced by the whirlwind nature of being named a last-minute injury replacement. Dosunmu received the call from his agent at 1 p.m. Thursday. In barely 24 hours, he packed up his parents and siblings, hopped on a private plane from Chicago to Salt Lake City and suited up for the game Friday night.

It was such a quick turnaround that Williams didn’t even realize Dosunmu had been assigned to his team until hours before tipoff.

“He texted me, ‘I’m here’ and I was like — ‘Wait, what?’ ” Williams said.

Even with limited time, Williams relished the opportunity to coach up Dosunmu. The former Utah Jazz guard believes the main challenge to elevate Dosunmu’s game to the next level will be improving his 3-point shot. Dosunmu is a fairly consistent shooter — averaging 35% from behind the arc — but he offers the Bulls less than one 3-pointer per game.

If he can increase that number, Williams believes Dosunmu will become an even more prominent guard in the league.

“I was always high on Ayo,” Williams said. “He’s a great defender, just a high-energy, high-motor guy, and those guys are coveted in today’s game. He’s up and coming. He’s up there with a lot of people. As he just continues to get better and to improve and he gets more confidence. The sky’s the limit.”

With the Rising Stars accolade checked off his list, Dosunmu’s next goal is clear: lifting the Bulls to the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Dosunmu knows the Bulls face an uphill battle to regain their footing after falling to 11th in the Eastern Conference, but he expressed confidence in his team’s chances in closing the season. That outlook has been a mainstay throughout Dosunmu’s career.

“It’s what drives his growth, his maturity, his positive mindset,” Quam said. “The way he approaches his craft — it’s his job, but he enjoys it and he loves it. He’s going through the process. His trajectory is only headed up.”