NEW YORK — Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu knows his value.
More important, the Bulls do, too.
So while Dosunmu still plays with a chip on his shoulder, it’s not there because he thinks he should be a starter instead of coming off the bench. It’s there because it always has been there.
‘‘Yeah, I believe I’m a starting-caliber player in this league,’’ Dosunmu said before the Bulls’ 120-112 loss Friday to the Nets. ‘‘[Bulls coach Billy Donovan] does, also. But whatever it may be to help the team win, that’s the route I go.
‘‘So it’s each and every day continuing to get better, lifting weights, working on my game, ultimately to help the team. Because if we can have six starting-caliber players, then it helps the team at the end of the day. So I’m looking at it in a bigger mindset and not just being single-minded.’’
Donovan had point guard Dennis Schroder when he coached the Thunder, and while Schroder had starting ability — evident yet again with him in the starting five for the Nets — he had to come off the bench in what was a crowded backcourt.
‘‘Dennis Schroder, who is having a great year so far, he had to come off the bench and sacrifice,’’ Donovan pointed out. ‘‘He’s definitely a starter and been a starter his whole career.
‘‘There’s no question in my mind that Ayo can be a starter. The one thing I’ve continued to see from him is the growth.’’
Donovan said the best thing that happened to Dosunmu after a breakout rookie season was that he came back a starter in Year 2 and struggled enough to lose his spot by the end of that season.
‘‘I think he got really humbled,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘You come out of that rookie year where maybe you exceed expectations, and you get that, ‘I’ve kind of got this figured out,’ type of thing. I think when he went through that second year, it really made him look at areas he had to get better, and the work he’s put into summers back-to-back has been really good.
‘‘The thing with him — and [fellow guard] Coby [White] has it, too — is both of them are very internally driven. Like, he doesn’t need to be motivated. He’s internally motivated.’’
The good news for Dosunmu is that he has starting experience. In the 37 games he started last season, he averaged 15.4 points and shot 41.7% from three-point range. With the Bulls looking to trade players this season, Dosunmu might get that starting spot back again.
‘‘I’m just continuing to try and mold myself into one of the two-way players in this league,’’ Dosunmu said. ‘‘That’s the route I’m on. That’s why I have a chip on my shoulder personally — to get the most I can get out of myself.’’
Guard Zach LaVine and forward Patrick Williams showed up on the injury report as questionable with ailing shoulders, and forward Jalen Smith is dealing with soreness in his left knee.
All three made it through pregame warmups without setbacks, however, and played against the Nets.
The Bulls don’t play again until Monday against the Jazz, so they will use Saturday as a day off to heal.
Several publications have proposed a scenario in which the Nets would trade guard Ben Simmons to the Bulls for LaVine, but it’s a complete fairytale.
The money for this season would work, but that’s it. Simmons is in the final year of his contract, while LaVine has two more beyond this one.
The Nets are in rebuilding mode and aren’t likely to get bogged down with another bad contract.
