From Chicago: the AYO Thread

[kodo]

6' 5" Chicago point guard who's NBA inspiration is Joakim Noah. This could only turn out one way.

[GoBlue72391]

I love Ayo's energy. He's like the opposite of PWill. Always aggressive and never scared.

[Andi Obst]

He’s been fantastic in his role. Love that BD is giving him the minutes he deserves right away.

[DxC17]

Love Ayo. All the word we've heard about him since the summer league has been his work ethic and asking Qs from every player possible. And it's showing. I thought he was already one of the most "NBA ready" draft picks, and that he's a steal for us.

And he's working out with another hometown kid and legend in Maurice Cheeks, who I actually forgot was now part of the Bulls coaching staff.

https://sports.yahoo.com/billy-donovan-bulls-rookie-ayo-032833642.html

As impressive as Dosunmu’s stat line was, it’s the work ethic and attention to detail that is standing out to coaches and teammates.

Here’s a player who didn’t shoot an open shot as Derrick Rose closed out on him in the loss to the Knicks, forcing Alex Caruso to take a worse shot to avoid a shot clock violation. Dosunmu watched film on that, listened to coaches telling him to step into the next open shot and then hit that huge 3-pointer.

Or a player who had displayed some difficulty finishing early in the season as he tried to understand how much more defensive length existed at the NBA level. So he watched film on that and, lo and behold, scored over Al Horford on Monday with a crafty, spinning shot.

“One thing I really love about the NBA is how quick coaches are there to help you make corrections,” Dosunmu said.

On the night, Dosunmu scored on three layups, a runner in the lane and two catch-and-shoot 3-pointers.

“I think I’m a completely different player from Summer League,” Dosunmu said. “Going through training camp and practices, guarding the guys on the team, gaining knowledge, learning each day. My thing is, I want to get better each day. If it’s 1 percent, 0.1 percent, I want to get better each day. So that’s what I pride myself on.”

You can hear the basketball IQ in Dosunmu when he talks about being in a different role than when he was starring for the Fighting Illini. There, he demanded the defensive attention. Now he knows that falls on DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vučević.

So now that he’s running some with at least one starter that Donovan staggers with the reserve unit, he’s studying ways to be ready for catch-and-shoot opportunities off the ball. Or a quick drive once one of the primary options attacks and kicks out a pass.

“I know how to get in the right spots and shoot,” Dosunmu said.

Donovan noted how Dosunmu has hit game-winning shots to end scrimmages in practices. That’s the fearlessness at work.

It sucks that he dropped and lost some money in the process, but I'm selfish and I'm just really happy he landed with the hometown team, lol. And he really is in one of the best development landing spots in the NBA with all the talent now on the Bulls player and coaching staff. And it sounds like he's improving every practice.

I really enjoyed that part about learning the difference in length between college and NBA. Back in college, Ayo was a giant guard. Hell, he's a big body combo guard in the NBA already, but the NBA is faster and stronger and longer than what he's used to. So after a couple bad possessions in the earlier games, they went to work and fast to help Ayo improve. And I think we're already seeing dividends that will just continue to be improved on.

Breakout second round picks have higher earning potential than mid-late 1sts. They hit RFA earlier and can get big paydays earlier.

If Ayo breaks out, can we even afford him?

I’d like a year 3 breakout for him for purely cap reasons (and that’s honesty most realistic). If he continues to grow his role & be a net positive through year 2, we can probably lock him up for 4 years on the cheap (maybe Caruso type money?)

This assumes he doesn’t flash any serious key starter level potential, if he does sooner than expected he very well could be priced out of Chicago.

Definitely see what you’re saying here

[DuckIII]

He’s the Taj Gibson at combo guard.

I like this and think it’s an interesting way of looking at it. There are general similarities here and I project Ayo as having a similar career to Gibson as a long term borderline starter who came into the league older than his peers, was drafted lower as a result, and turns out that upon a re-draft should have gone significantly higher.

Also, for Bulls fans who did not follow Ayo much in college, he’s just showing you a little bit on offense. Ayo is a much better passer and half court scorer than he has shown. As he adjusts to the size and speed of the NBA and gets more comfortable asserting himself a lot of you are going to be surprised at the diversity of his skill set.

This last year’s draft was as loaded as they said it would be. But Ayo still went absurdly low. In a standard draft class I’d have him as a late lotto/early non-lotto prospect. And in his case I have no doubt that, like Taj, he will reach the top of whatever his ceiling is.

Thank god for NBA GMs who overthink the draft.

[DuckIII]

The thing that is really striking to me about Ayo is his drive to improve, and his ability to do so in fairly short order. Dare I say it, but it strikes me as Butler-esque. Based on what I have seen so far, I won't put a ceiling on him. Not saying he doesn't have a ceiling - of course he does, everyone does. Just saying that his ceiling is unknown because he is just beginning to work on all the ways he can improve.

Ayo has that work ethic. Any Illini fan will happily tell you about how much Ayo evolved in different areas over three years in the Big Ten.

And he’s plenty physically talented for the NBA. But he does not have the physical talent of Butler. Butler was a higher ceiling athlete.

[mtron32]

I didn't watch Illini basketball but definitely heard a lot about Ayo from his exploits last season.

This dude has been a revelation. And his shot, janky as it is, has been effective. It gives me low-key Joakim Noah tornado vibes. If he can go spend time with Lonzo Ball's shot doctor to tighten up that motion... watch out.

I don't fully understand the take that he has a limited ceiling. He has prototypical size as a combo guard (Wade-esque height/wingspan) and is already a NBA level defender with awareness on both ends and the tools/hustle to act on it.

I get strong Jimmy Butler vibes off of this kid. Jimmy's strengths coming into the league were defense and drawing fouls. His big minus was his T-Rex arms.

Ayo has the wingspan but isn't quite the foul magnet that Butler was coming in. He showed marked year-over-year development in college and has come in as a more developed scorer.

That's why having DDR on the squad is excellent, Ayo is going to soak up all that foul drawing magic just watching him ball out. Another offseason in the weight room and that kid is going to do work. The beauty is there's no pressure on him yet.

[dawhizz]

My only contribution at this time is that Stacy’s “Ayo Silver, Away!” is cringe AF, even for him.

[Jello Biafra]

Reminds me a bit of Kris Dunn, minus the fouling but with maybe a better 3pt shot.

Jay Patt and Ricky O'Donnell were spouting that crap on the last Cash Considerations Podcast. The two are nothing a like and their games are nothing a like. They just said that because they formed their negative takes on Ayo because they wanted Sharife Cooper instead. Since they still want to bag on Ayo to protect their take and since Ayo plays with energy and plays D they say he is Kris Dunn, which is an insult to Ayo and they intend it to be insulting. Their games have nothing in common other than they play good D.

The fact is that Ayo baggers have continually said he is nothing but a G League prospect, yet here he is cracking the rotation and making big plays 6 games into his rookie season (as a second round pick) playing a position he really hasn't played before. Can't wait to see what happens with the ball in his hands.

[DuckIII]

Can't wait to see what happens with the ball in his hands.

Agreed. I suspect we won’t see much of that until next year though.

[Grodoboldo]

He’s the Taj Gibson at combo guard.

That is a good comparison. Taj really stood out as one of the few rookies who made it seem like the game wasn't moving too fast for him. I do see that in Ayo too.

Also, Taj was called Taj "not Dejuan Blair" Gibson after the draft. Ayo might as well be Ayo "not Sharife Cooper" Dosunmu.

[transplant]

He’s the Taj Gibson at combo guard.

That is a good comparison. Taj really stood out as one of the few rookies who made it seem like the game wasn't moving too fast for him. I do see that in Ayo too.

Also, Taj was called Taj "not Dejuan Blair" Gibson after the draft. Ayo might as well be Ayo "not Sharife Cooper" Dosunmu.

Ooh, nicely played. I seem to remember one notable poster in particular who was put on security watch after the Bulls passed on Blair.

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

My only contribution at this time is that Stacy’s “Ayo Silver, Away!” is cringe AF, even for him.

I’ve learned to tune out most Stacy-isms, but that **** is horrible. I’d be so pissed if I were Ayo and my family had to hear it every time I made a play.

[bad knees]

My only contribution at this time is that Stacy’s “Ayo Silver, Away!” is cringe AF, even for him.

I’ve learned to tune out most Stacy-isms, but that **** is horrible. I’d be so pissed if I were Ayo and my family had to hear it every time I made a play.

The Stacy-isms are bad when you're watching the game, but it's even worse when you watch a highlight reel. Then you literally hear him saying the same set of stupid catch-phrases over and over again, right on top of each other. I would not shed a tear if the Bulls replaced him. Amin is a professional (as you can see from his non-Bulls work), but he apparently has made the bad choice to play along with Stacy, which only brings Amin down to his level.

[fleet]

He’s the Taj Gibson at combo guard.

That is a good comparison. Taj really stood out as one of the few rookies who made it seem like the game wasn't moving too fast for him. I do see that in Ayo too.

Also, Taj was called Taj "not Dejuan Blair" Gibson after the draft. Ayo might as well be Ayo "not Sharife Cooper" Dosunmu.

Too bad we settled for Jimmy Butler instead of aggressively going for Marshon Brooks too.

[navdeep_singh]

That is a good comparison. Taj really stood out as one of the few rookies who made it seem like the game wasn't moving too fast for him. I do see that in Ayo too.

Also, Taj was called Taj "not Dejuan Blair" Gibson after the draft. Ayo might as well be Ayo "not Sharife Cooper" Dosunmu.

Too bad we settled for Jimmy Butler instead of aggressively going for Marshon Brooks too.

Side issue: Pax made some ok decisions, into the D-Rose era (keep in mind, we were winning with Bogans and Boozer starting), but when it became GarPax, the ship began to sink. Post D-Rose, the GarPax ship, leaking like the Titanic, went into, to borrow a phrase from the later daze of the Crumbs’ Era, “I got two full boats” level of stupidity.

I’m so glad we bailed from the GarPax era. So excited to be a Bulls fan, now, even more than the DRose Thibs era—because then we knew that LeBron and the cHeat would do us in. Right now, the NBA looks wide open. Why not us, if we keep on making the moves we have made in the past year? Why not us?

[DuckIII]

That is a good comparison. Taj really stood out as one of the few rookies who made it seem like the game wasn't moving too fast for him. I do see that in Ayo too.

Also, Taj was called Taj "not Dejuan Blair" Gibson after the draft. Ayo might as well be Ayo "not Sharife Cooper" Dosunmu.

Ooh, nicely played. I seem to remember one notable poster in particular who was put on security watch after the Bulls passed on Blair.

Yeah, that dude was a major dumbass.

[TheFinishSniper]

Given how dissapointed I was with plethora of Bulls picks over last decade. Specially with lack of finding ANY talent in 2nd round. Ofcourse from those we kept and didnt trade away for pure ca$h reasons. I said in some thread over summer I would be happy if Ayo is just NBA player. And that if he gets opportunity to play he needs not look like a rookie, given he come into league with 3 years of college experience.

As we can't anymore afford spend and plays guy who are not ready for NBA, but still in same time not exactly developing prospects. I mean why pick them? Doesnt make any sense. It makes more sense to invest into vets signing for veteran minimum in FA for that.

And even though it's still early it seems Bulls didnt make that mistake. I am not sure Ayo will have any worthwhile mentioning NBA career, but for now he doesnt suck. And when he is on court he knows what do to some extent and isn't costing Bulls any points for minutes he is on the floor. He is contributor for now off the bench.

He has good enough competition overall to only get minutes if he plays well and I am happy Bulls are in that position. He gets to play against Ill say pretty good players in practice to improve and feel confident enough he can do that against bench teams around league. And for now he plays like it.

[Grodoboldo]

That is a good comparison. Taj really stood out as one of the few rookies who made it seem like the game wasn't moving too fast for him. I do see that in Ayo too.

Also, Taj was called Taj "not Dejuan Blair" Gibson after the draft. Ayo might as well be Ayo "not Sharife Cooper" Dosunmu.

Too bad we settled for Jimmy Butler instead of aggressively going for Marshon Brooks too.

Wow, that's right, I had completely forgotten about him!!! He had a couple of seasons as a fine end of the bench empty calories scorer, but not much more.

[RastaBull]

Love what he’s doing. AKME we’re very impressive to make the pick. I follow a lil college first half of year, and then really turn it up in January with an eye towards rumored draft stock. So I knew about him, some posters early on mentioned him as a nice pick that we could get if we did make a trade into late first.

I’m sort of surprised no one else has mentioned it that I know of, but he reminds me so clearly of the way I felt about young Delon Wright on a championship level Raptors squad. I think Wrights gone on to have that sort of Taj Gibson guard sequence career (although in ATL he’s not getting the time right now). I think that’s a realistic and still high expectation for Ayo as a second round pick. Won’t call it his ceiling cuz ya never know … he could get that Jimmy Butler bug too and really blast off (he has the defense, drive, and good situation like Jimmy).

All y’all saying it are spot on … he’s as perfect for this team as this team is perfect for him. Without the moves, if we were still a rebuilding team, or even just a piece or two away, I don’t think it would go nearly as well for him. But given the way AKME already reBUILT (no “ing”) this summer, he gets to slide in and have the pressure taken of his flaws and show out with his strengths. Hopefully allowing him to come along slowly on his flaws with time. I think one of biggest things that allows for him to impress us so much is that he never has the pressure of being the best defensive perimeter player on the floor. He’ll almost always have Ball or Caruso out there. That allows him to simply be a GREAT defensive player and not the pressure of having to be game changing. He gets to be an ADDITION to a great defensive unit. And he’s doing that in spades.

Offensively … if he can put up a special shooting night like that every 10-15 games this rookie year that’s more than enough for me. His shooting is one of this question marks that I’m glad he doesn’t have to feel pressured to quickly to solve, he can work on it and confidently exert his offense without forcing it. What I do expect and need from him is the IQ and decision making on transition. He will likely necessarily be in one of our units with the most fast break opportunities, since he’ll be with one of Ball/Caruso. So the simple things like how quickly he breaks down the court on a turnover and rebounds are big. Or how he boxes out to grab boards and gets the ball up to someone on the break. How he spaces on transition and gets passes quickly to and from teammates. He’s been super solid and killing that and that’s why he’s gonna secure minutes even with White (they could play well together too!)

That’s why my fav play of his after everything was that ally oop to DJJ. Stacey had just said two plays earlier how they gotta get rid of ball (Zach!) to take advantage of it. (I know all the criticism of Stacey, but for all the football antics if you listen he does drop some spot on thoughts every once in a while). Ayo was perfect. He broke down court, he called for it, he stayed wide enough to create space, he knew his personnel the whole time seeing DJJ sprinting. Before he even got the ball he knew this was an easy ally oop and he executed perfectly.