Just when it was all coming together for guard Ayo Dosunmu.
It’s a good thing he’s used to adversity.
The Bulls announced Saturday that the sore Achilles that kept him out of the previous game now is being categorized as a strained right calf after they were able to run Dosunmu through some imaging tests Friday.
He’ll be shut down for 10 days, then reevaluated, but because of the sensitivity of calf injuries, a quick return shouldn’t be expected, especially for a player who counts on his start and stop like Dosunmu does.
“Let it calm done,” coach Billy Donovan said. “No tears or anything like that, but certainly a strain showed up. With the way he plays, it’s probably in an area that will continue to cause problems unless he rests it.
“You’re always going to be susceptible to causing more problems. It was something that was caught earlier, which is a positive.”
After a slow start, Dosunmu seemed to be finding his groove in December. He was averaging 14.2 points and 6.4 assists in his last nine games and had put his three-point-shooting woes behind him by making 39.5% from long range.
Dosunmu shot only 32% from three-point range in November.
With Dosunmu out, the Bulls lose arguably their best two-way backcourt player.
“He hasn’t shot the ball at the same level that he did a year ago, but I felt that he was really starting to come on the last five or 10 games,” Donovan said. “The thing I love about him is the mental part of it. He’s a tough, competitive guy, and I think he’s learned, he’s grown. He takes challenges on defensively. . . . I don’t want to sit here and say he’s our best two-way player, but certainly he’s a guy we feel comfortable putting on the other team’s best perimeter player.
“He’s also done a really good job offensively, forcing the pace and getting the ball up the floor and putting us in situations where we can generate quick, easy shots.”
Luckily for Donovan, he has depth at guard. Lonzo Ball was back after dealing with illness the previous two games, and Josh Giddey (right ankle) also returned against the Bucks.
Then there’s Jevon Carter, fresh off a 26-point performance against the Hawks in which he hit seven threes, waiting in the wings.
When asked if he was concerned that Dosunmu would cool off or get out of rhythm while sidelined, Donovan said he’s built to overcome that.
“I would say there’s always a common denominator of how guys handle adversity, and the guys that are the most successful at handling it, those are the guys that look inward instead of outward,” Donovan said. “I think with Coby [White] and Ayo, both of those guys are good at assuming responsibility that they can get better.”
Support for Brown
Donovan and Bucks coach Doc Rivers expressed their disappointment over the Kings’ firing of Mike Brown. Was it just a matter of coaches protecting coaches? Not in this case, Donovan said.
“I know Mike; he’s a great guy; I think he’s a terrific coach,” Donovan said. “You hate to see something like that happen.”
Missing size
It’s never good to be undersized against the Bucks, but backup center Jalen Smith, who’s dealing with a sore left ankle, was unavailable for the Bulls. The injury wasn’t believed to be serious, however.
