Meet Ayo Dosunmu, the second-rounder who is supercharging the Chicago Bulls back to contention

LESS THAN A minute has ticked off the clock at the United Center, with the Bulls hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers, when a microcosm of Chicago’s most surprising success story this season reveals itself — again.

Cavs guard Darius Garland walks the ball up the left side of the court. He dribbles between his legs and jets to his right.

Waiting for him is Ayo Dosunmu. The 22-year-old Bulls rookie sticks to Garland’s left hip. He dodges a screen from Kevin Love, then sheds a second one from presumed Rookie of the Year Evan Mobley. As he recovers, Dosunmu stretches his 6-foot-8 wingspan toward Garland and attaches himself, once again, to the Cavaliers’ best player.

Still, the 2022 All-Star senses daylight and accelerates toward the rim. But from behind, Dosunmu soars, swatting the ball out of bounds with his left hand.

It was Garland’s first shot of the game. He’d attempt eight more with Dosunmu as his closest defender, per Second Spectrum tracking, and make only one of them. The Bulls won 101-91.

Of course, none of this — starting the 2021 second-round pick, and having him guard the opposing team’s best player — was Chicago’s plan.

“Anybody that would tell you they expected this, is lying to you,” says one member of the Bulls’ front office.

During the offseason, to balance an offensive-minded backcourt in Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls signed guards Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. However, both Ball (knee) and Caruso (wrist) had been sidelined by injuries since January, until Caruso’s return last week, leaving a void in the Bulls’ defense that sent them spiraling down the standings.

Dosunmu, who averaged just 19.8 minutes through the first three months of the season, was immediately moved into the starting lineup.

In the past 25 years, only five second-round picks have…