Who Deserves a 2K Ratings Bump? Sixth Man Ayo, The Worst Case Scenario, and Other Bulls Bullets

Elias Schuster Elias Schuster
Sep 19, 2024
Sep 19, 2024

This morning my soon-to-be wife and I went to the Cook County clerk’s office to pick up a Marriage license for our upcoming wedding. What did I learn in the process? Getting married is shockingly easy.

I was in and out of that office with a certiღficate faster than Ayo Dosunmu in transition. Crazy.

  • The Chicago Bulls’ . Zach LaVine watched his overall shrink to an 83, while newcomer Josh Giddey couldn’t even crack an 80. As for Patrick Williams, who just signed a five-year, $90.0 million deal, he still sits at a lackluster 76. Even backup big man Jalen Smith is higher than the former No. 4 overall pick at 77! To be sure, I know these ratings mean very little in the grand scheme of things, but I find they serve as a decent indicator of the talent level of each team. Clearly, faith in what the Bulls are building is rather low.

  • So who has the best opportunity to see their rating get a bump first? Williams feels like the right pick, especially if he can come out of the gate aggressively on the offensive end. But I’d also keep an eye on Ayo Dosunmu. Let’s not forget just how strongly he finished the 2023-24 campaign. The guard became far more reliable on the offensive end, attacking off the bounce in the halfcourt and flashing some great touch around the rim. He averaged 17.0 points and 4.9 assists over his final 19 games, and he did so while shooting 51.2 percent from the field!

    • Ayo Dosunmu of the Chicago Bulls
    © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

  • To be sure, Zach LaVine’s return will erase some of Dosunmu’s scoring opportunities. But I also think Billy Donovan’s plan will be to give the 24-year-old the car keys to the second unit. This will be the best way to ensure Dosunmu remains a strong part of the future picture. Not to mention, I think his transition skills will make a lot of sense next to Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith. The bench mob could be very fun to watch!

  • Bleacher Report wrote up each , and I think they hit Chicago’s right on the head! Simply put, they labeled this season not signaling a full rebuild as the worst-case scenario. Many have believed that the Bulls’ offseason changes will signal an organizational step backward and a genuine youth movement. But what if Arturas Karnisovas relapses on competitiveness? What if LaVine begins to look rejuvenated, Vucevic is sinking some threes, and Lonzo Ball can play 25 minutes a night? Even if a rebuild still clearly makes the most sense – as we know this nucleus isn’t going anywhere – I can see this front office convincing themselves otherwise. After all, they did it at three straight trade deadlines!

  • There is also the possibility that the front office continues to undervalue draft capital. They seemingly favor young talent with some big-league experience over future first-round picks. However, you need both to build a successful team in earnest. Taking a chance on Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith is great, but you also need to (1) hit first-round picks and (2) compile them for future transactions. The Bulls’ arsenal is still rather empty, which means they may not be able to capitalize on a young and improving roster by trading for needed pieces in the future.

  • This is kind of crazy …

  • Matt Shaw = Good

    • Matt Shaw Joins Another Semi-Exclusive 🍬Cubs Club, Leads to Trivia

  • Bears need this win on Sunday.

    • Chicago Bea🌱rs Wednesday Injury Repor🉐t: 6 Players Listed as Limited

    written by

    Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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