Coach Billy Donovan: Bulls want to compete and aren’t focused on draft slot

After a poor start to the 2024-25 season, most people would think that Chicago’s playoff aspiration are already coming to an end, but after a recent stretch of wins, the Bulls are slowly getting back in the competition. This is why coach Billy Donovan felt the need to tell the press that earning a strong draft slot is not on their minds. 

Quite the opposite, the Illinois club wants to compete and earn a place in the postseason. The Bulls have now conquered four of five after Monday night’s 114-110 comeback victory against Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs. Now Chicago sit 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 17-19 record.

Even though the team owes its first-round selection in the 2025 draft to San Antonio as part of DeMar DeRozan’s trade back in 2021, they have a top-10 pick that is protected. “No one’s saying to me, hey, listen, wait a second with this draft pick right now, we need to make sure, it’s been always the integrity of competition and playing,” Donovan shared. “And I appreciate that.”

Before the game tonight, Billy Donovan was asked if he thought the Bulls front office understands how to get better.

“I do feel that way.

“But, where we’re at right now as a team, I do think the totality of your team has got to be a major priority to get better.” pic.twitter.com/7Q1nx0YUS2

— Drew Stevens (@Drew_H_Stevens) January 7, 2025

Even though the head coach assured that having a strong draft pick hasn’t been part of his conversations with his organization, he did recognize that the team has been slowly improving their hierarchy in the past couple of campaigns.

“We don’t want to be just stuck in the middle. … Absolutely. I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Billy said, as the Bulls went 40-42 during the 2022-23 season and 39-43 last year.

He then added: “I think the building out part that we got to look at is the totality of our entire team where you’re identifying guys that are going to help us maybe get out of the middle and move forward. And I do think that we do have guys on our team that, to me, emulate or model a competitiveness that I like and appreciate.”

Chicago guard Ayo Dosunmu is currently doing some rehab work and should return to NBA action in the coming weeks

The Illinois squad have been playing these past sixth-straight matches without Ayo Dosunmu as he continues to recover from a strained right calf. The guard, who is set to turn 25-years of age on January 17, has been averaging 12.6 points and 4.8 assists in his fourth NBA campaign.

The Bulls expect the athlete to return to action this month, but still have no exact date for his complete recovery. For now, Dosunmu has been doing some rehab work, but continues to experience some soreness when he tries to run hard in a straight line.

His coach Billy Donovan has been advised by his medical staff that the young guard should be careful in his return to the basketball court, as they want to assure he doesn’t fall back to injury. “I think with where it is, in the lower part of his calf, they’re just going to be careful,” he said.