Ayo Dosunmu, Josh Giddey, and Matas Buzelis joined “The Young Man And The Three” podcast yesterday afternoon to represent the Chicago Bulls on one of the largest platforms for hoops talk. Coming out of the gates 6-1, the Bulls quickly put the league on notice. For a team initially estimated to win 32.5 games by sportsbooks, Chicago was shocking the NBA world. After Dosunmu and Giddey missed a handful of games, the Bulls have dropped four straight meetings. Sunday, they hope to regain Giddey and possibly Coby White for the first time this year and will look to end the losing ways. Yesterday, they shared thoughts on the Bulls, their personal basketball history, and the future of the organization. Here are the essential notes from the hour-long podcast interview.
Choosing A Pre-NBA Route
An interesting topic that the trio covered was why they chose the route from youth basketball to the NBA that they did. Dosunmu took the most traditional path, going from high school to college, playing for the University of Illinois. Being from Chicago, this decision was probably easier for him than for most others contemplating as many offers as he had. The most intriguing part was hearing him speak about how other commits had gone to his other top schools, which players would fill the same roles at similar schools, and how attending a program where he’d be the perceived starting option was important.
Buzelis was cut and dry. He loves basketball and only wanted to play it, and the G-League Ignite program offered just that. He didn’t want to have to allocate focus to school or anything else outside of basketball.
Watching some G League Ignite and just reached this dunk by Matas Buzelis and had to post it because, wow pic.twitter.com/hP7d2RV76A
https://x.com/Itamar_17_10/status/1760310204074267110?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1760310204074267110%7Ctwgr%5E4a94db8220717b71087b85e4abc8e2974d26367a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsmockery.com%2Fchicago-bulls%2Fbulls-trio-share-unfiltered-thoughts-in-new-interview%2F
Giddey’s experience felt somewhat like a late switch. He visited the University of Colorado and was impressed by what he saw, which tempted him to consider the option. In the end, he chose to remain in Australia, join the NBL, an Australian-based professional basketball league, and was then drafted to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Both Giddey and Buzelis also cited previous examples of players who gave their decision more validation, allowing them to choose their respective routes with confidence. Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga were role models for Buzelis’s choice, and LaMelo Ball being selected third overall out of the NBL inspired Giddey’s decision to stay home.
Building Culture In Chicago
Culture was another integral topic of discussion. Giddey has invaluable experience in this area, having played with a team that went from a top lottery pick to a championship contender in a handful of seasons. Things like hanging out away from basketball, spending time in the gym together, spending offseasons together, and not caring about the box score were key points that he highlighted as essential components behind the scenes. Dosunmu has also spoken about this during interviews, calling this group a “brotherhood,” saying they sacrifice and play for one another.
Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, Matas Buzelis, and Josh Giddey hang out with Chance the Rapper at Halloween party!
(📸 via Chance The Rapper’s IG) pic.twitter.com/MsIwwC97Zo
https://x.com/BullsOnTap/status/1984689365927281055?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1984689365927281055%7Ctwgr%5E4a94db8220717b71087b85e4abc8e2974d26367a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsmockery.com%2Fchicago-bulls%2Fbulls-trio-share-unfiltered-thoughts-in-new-interview%2F
Maturing as a group, flexing their versatility, and continually improving individually are repeated themes among the next wave of Chicago Bulls representatives.
Strength In Numbers
One of Chicago’s calling cards lately has been its pace of play. They are top-three in the NBA in pace, shots attempted, and assist percentage. Giddey mentioned that during summer runs, the team will play with 14-second shot clocks to incentivize pace, aggressive offense, and a fearless nature. This requires incredible endurance and consistency, which Donovan and the youngsters take pride in. One of the Bulls’ top assets is having 9-10 rotational players who can contribute at a high level. They have one of the most talented second-unit groups in basketball, and the opposition is constantly faced with five suitable and capable players.
Jalen Smith over his last 5 games has been AWESOME:
MPG: 17.9
PPG: 12.4
FG%: 57.5%
3P%: 47.6%
RPG: 7.4
APG: 1.8He’s been KEY off the bench 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ouP23DUCTE
https://twitter.com/JAYChi_Bulls/status/1988607650737856670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1988607650737856670%7Ctwgr%5E4a94db8220717b71087b85e4abc8e2974d26367a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsmockery.com%2Fchicago-bulls%2Fbulls-trio-share-unfiltered-thoughts-in-new-interview%2F
If there’s one crucial takeaway from the interview, it’s that this trio preaches continuity, buy-in across the board, and executing at a high level. From seeing three of the franchise’s youngest leaders interact and discuss the Bulls’ future with pride, it’s clear that better days are ahead for this organization, and it’s an exciting time to be a Chicago Bulls fan.
Full interview can be found below.
THE CHICAGO BULLS POD IS LIVE!
– Josh Giddey
– Matas Buzelis
– Ayo DosunmuWATCH: https://t.co/uglLslPXO5 pic.twitter.com/hSxSIVqBkM
https://twitter.com/JAYChi_Bulls/status/1988607650737856670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1988607650737856670%7Ctwgr%5E4a94db8220717b71087b85e4abc8e2974d26367a%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sportsmockery.com%2Fchicago-bulls%2Fbulls-trio-share-unfiltered-thoughts-in-new-interview%2F
