Ayo Dosunmu remains stalwart despite moving behind Patrick Beverley in the Chicago Bulls rotation: ‘When we win, everyone looks good’

When Patrick Beverley made his Bulls debut Friday at the United Center, he displaced another Chicago native from the starting lineup — second-year guard Ayo Dosunmu.

Dosunmu held down the starting point guard position since he was a rookie. But he said he’s not allowing the potential impact on his minutes to distract him from the bigger picture.

“We all want to win,” Dosunmu said. “Coach (Billy) Donovan always does a great job with his rotations, putting guys out there to be successful. I trust in my abilities to help the team win. End of the day, we’ve got 23 games left. The most important thing is getting in the win column.”

While Dosunmu has been a consistent interim option, Beverley brings experience at the point guard position that the Bulls have been sorely missing since Lonzo Ball’s injury in January 2022.

Despite Beverley having only two practices under his belt, Donovan felt the veteran guard was up to speed enough to play without a minutes restriction against the Brooklyn Nets.

“I feel pretty comfortable with him defensively,” Donovan said. “There’s a package of plays in for him that he’s very, very comfortable with. He has an understanding on misses and makes, what we’re trying to do besides dead-ball situation play calls. He’s a veteran guy, he’s bright, I think he’ll pick up stuff pretty quickly.”

While Beverley’s inclusion on the roster could affect Dosunmu’s playing time, the veteran is already making a positive impact on the second-year guard’s growth — especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Defense has been a strong suit for Dosunmu, who has the fourth-highest defensive rating on the team (111.4) while typically picking up the toughest guard assignments. Donovan praised Dosunmu’s desire to improve his defene, noting he needs to grow more in his judgment than skill, such as knowing how to avoid being baited into fouls.

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Beverley pulled Dosunmu aside after his first practice with the team, offering advice from his experience guarding the top talent in the game.

“That’s one thing I really missed my first year and a little bit of my second year, just really having someone who can tell me those things,” Dosunmu said. “Pat’s guarded a lot of the top guards in the NBA in their prime, so he knows a lot of tricks and traits of how to stop them or just how to make things easier.”

The team’s guard depth is complicated by Goran Dragić’s lingering left knee injury, which sidelined the veteran Friday. Without Dragić, Dosunmu would be able to pick up a heavier workload in the secondary rotation if he is moved out of the starting lineup for the rest of the season.

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But even with this potential shift, Dosunmu said his focus isn’t on the quantity of minutes or rotation they land in.

“However many minutes I play, I’m trying my best to help the team win and do what I can do,” Dosunmu said. “When we win, everyone looks good.”