Author: Monojit Mandal
Following the departure of Fred VanVleet, who just signed with the Houston Rockets, the Toronto Raptors are looking for depth at the point guard position and according to reports, the team is interested in restricted free agent Ayo Dosunmu.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Raptors are still interested in Dosunmu, even after adding Dennis Schröder to help cover the void left by VanVleet. However, Dosunmu’s current team, the Chicago Bulls, have the ability to match any offer made by Toronto during the offseason.
This summer, Chicago has been quite busy, re-signing Nikola Vuevi and Coby White and also bringing in Jevon Carter. If the Bulls decide to keep Dosunmu, the backcourt could become very congested.
However, it would be remarkable if the Bulls didn’t prioritize keeping Dosunmu. Despite the presence of DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine, the team fell short last season, failing to establish itself as a legitimate contender. With an eye on the future, the Bulls could benefit from giving more playing time to their younger players.
Dosunmu, who is only 23 years old, is a talented player who has already shown promise. The Illinois product was named to the All-Rookie Second Team in each of his first two seasons. Dosunmu averaged 8.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in his second season. In the latter, he also showed that he can defend different positions and has good ball control skills, with just 1.2 turnovers per game.
Although Dosunmu’s three-point percentage of 31.2% in 2022-23 leaves room for growth, his overall effect on the game is clear. Dosunmu could be an anchor for the Raptors’ second unit or perhaps an occasional starter. Although he’s unlikely to be a game-changer, his presence could help close the gap between the Raptors and lower-ranked teams in the race for the Eastern Conference playoffs after Toronto’s heartbreaking loss in the play-in tournament last season.
It’s interesting to note that Dosunmu’s possible departure would be a blow to the Bulls, who beat the Raptors in the play-off round.