Bulls Stock Up, Stock Down: Ayo Dosunmu Stellar Off the Bench in Loss

Michael Walton II

Oct 13, 2025, 05:14

Michael Walton II

Oct 13, 2025, 05:14

Updated at: Oct 13, 2025, 05:14

The Chicago Bulls suffered their first loss of the 2025-26 preseason. The Bucks took down the Bulls 127-121, in a game that saw the Bulls stay close despite shooting poorly from the 3-point line. Conversely, Milwaukee was a lights out 41.7% on their whopping 48 attempts from deep on the evening. So just how did the Bulls keep up with the Bucks despite shooting 11-41 from 3-point range? Physicality and determination, specifically, when it came to drives to the basket. Chicago's 36 free throw attempts served them well, but shooting better than 72% on those trips to the charity stripe would've done wonders for the Bulls in such a tight game.

As we approach the fourth game of the Bulls preseason, let's take a look at whose stock is on the rise, and whose stock is falling.

Stock Up: Matas Buzelis

Out of fairness to Matas Buzelis, this is the last time he will appear in the "stock up" section, as I simply do not believe the second-year forwards stock can get any higher at this point. Buzelis has said that he wants to win the Most Improved Player Award, and he continues to look very serious about that statement based off his play in the preseason.

Buzelis had cooled off a bit following his 19-point performance in the Bulls first preseason game, notching 11 points on a modest 3-7 FG shooting in preseason game No. 2. Well he was right back to his high-scoring ways in the Bulls third preseason game, collecting 19 points on 6-11 shooting from the field (54.5%).

As continues to be the case throughout preseason, Buzelis continues to impress with how varied his scoring is. On Sunday night he knocked down two of his six attempts from 3-point range, shot 5-5 from the free throw line, and showcased the ability to take centers off the dribble when presented with a speed mismatch.

The Bulls having a great season will likely hinge on Buzelis ability to score all areas of the floor, as defenses will continue to focus on Josh Giddey, Nikola Vucevic, and Coby White, leaving Buzelis to attack matchups that present him with smaller or slower defenders.

Stock Up: Ayo Dosunmu

Just like Buzelis, Ayo Dosunmu showcased that he can be depended on for a bit more offense in the absence of Coby White. Dosunmu has plenty of experience as a lead ball handler from his time at Morgan Park High School in Chicago, or with the University of Illinois, but he has become an intriguing wing under the tutelage of Billy Donovan.

Last season Dosunmu played 56% of his minutes at SG and 30% at SF per Basketball-Reference. And this time as a wing player has helped in making Dosunmu a more decisive player. Playing next to pass-first guards like Giddey or Tre Jones has allowed Dosunmu the freedom to attack the paint early and often, and that was on full display Sunday night. Dosunmu racked up 22 points on 8-12 shooting. He also added in three rebounds, two assists (with no turnovers), and was a perfect 5-5 from the charity stripe. For a team that plans to play as fast, having a tough, downhill finisher like Dosunmu on the floor is essential as it collapses the defense and opens up clean looks for others.

Stock Down: Nikola Vucevic

Since we said Buzelis can no longer appear in "Stock Up," it's only fair to say this will be the last time Vucevic is included in the "Stock Down" section. Vucevic--unlike pretty much every other player on the Bulls--has nothing to prove in the preseason. We are seeing the veteran out there to see what he looks like with a new-look starting group, and for him to get into general game shape. That being said, we obviously don't ignore his play just because of his elder statesman status on the team, and Vucevic's struggles from deep continued on Sunday.

The biggest fear for Bulls fans, when it comes to Vucevic, continues to be that his stellar 3-point shooting from last season was a mirage. Vucevic shot 40.2% from 3-point range in 2025, 29.4% from 3 in 2024, and 34.9% in 2023. Simply put, despite the veteran big having a reputation as a floor spacer, you don't quite know what you are getting from the Montenegrin center in terms of 3-point percentage from year to year.

In Sunday night's loss, Vucevic shot 3-10 from the field, and 0-4 from the 3-point line. It's just one game, but things don't look great for the Bulls offense if Vucevic is going to struggle like that from deep. Last season the Bulls were third in 3-point attempts (42.0 per game), 13th in 3-point percentage (36.7%), and 20th in Offensive Rating (113.2).

In terms of efficiency and volume from 3-point range, Vucevic and Coby White were head and shoulders above every Chicago Bull post-Zach LaVine trade. If Vucevic reverts back to average or even worse, poor shooting from 3-point range, Chicago will struggle to keep up with teams offensively even as they continue to push the pace.

Stock Up: Patrick Williams

Patrick Williams continues to be a polarizing Bulls figure as some fans expect a lot more, some expect less, and some simply have no expectations at all for the former No. 4 overall pick. Despite many fans being down on Williams, he is putting together a solid preseason that showcases he may he rehab his value around the league this upcoming season, potentially in a comfortable-for-him off the bench role. In Sunday night's close loss, Williams put together a versatile stat line of 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists (4 turnovers), and a steal over 23 minutes of action.

The five assists were impressive despite the four turnovers. Williams is a player who can suffer from not having enough of an impact in the stat sheet, so seeing him attempt to get teammates involved more is encouraging. Williams appears to have a solid percentage of his assists come on plays where he is hitting a player in stride on pre-planned cuts, but seeing him hit those passes with great timing and pace is nonetheless a very good thing for the Bulls offense.

Williams 8 rebounds all came on the defensive glass. This would not be a big deal for most players, but definitely is for Williams, who has never averaged over 4.6 rebounds per game in his career. No one is expecting him to double his career rebounding average, but making a more concerted effort to hit the glass would do wonders for Williams' career. Williams can make a bigger impact on gameday by simply focusing on the little things within his control, something Donovan touched on postgame.

Williams doesn't need to put up gaudy numbers to prove that he belongs as a core piece of the Bulls future. All he needs to do is exactly what he did on Sunday night--minus the turnovers--and that is take open shots, play hard defensively, and put forth tremendous effort on attacking the defensive glass to close out possessions. If Williams becomes a more active rebounder while maintaining his career-long efficiency from 3-point range, you won't hear many complaints moving forward about his $18 million salary.

Bulls Stock Up, Stock Down: Ayo Dosunmu Stellar Off the Bench in Loss