Perhaps the most impressive part of last night's comeback victory over the Philadelphia 76ers was that the Bulls were missing two of their best players. Down by as many as 24 points, they stormed back and took their first lead with 3.2 seconds on the clock, and stole one from one of the toughest teams in the Eastern Conference. They were able to accomplish this miraculous comeback despite the absence of two of their top contributors, Coby White and Ayo Dosumnu. White has yet to play this season due to a calf injury, and head coach Billy Donovan says it'll be "a few more weeks" before he's ready to get back in the rotation. Dosunmu was one of the early bright spots through the first five games, but has missed the last two due to a quadriceps injury. Here's what is known, and how soon he can be expected back.
Eyeing A Friday Return
Thankfully for Chicago, their fifth-year guard's leg injury appears to be minor. He missed his first game on Sunday in New York and again last night at the United Center. The Bulls dropped their first game of the season, after a 5-0 start, on Sunday. Yesterday, the same fate seemed imminent until a late surge somehow erased a double-digit deficit to sneak away with the win. Their next game will be Friday night, another NBA Cup pool play matchup, when they'll visit the Milwaukee Bucks. 1-0 so far in NBA Cup action, the Bucks are Chicago's toughest test left in the pool play stage. If they can move to 2-0, their chances of advancing to the bracket play portion of the tournament heighten exponentially. According to reports from yesterday, it appears they will have Dosunmu's services back for that meeting.
Here at Bulls practice ahead of tonight’s game against the 76ers. Ayo Dosunmu, who missed last game with a quad injury, is getting some shots up. pic.twitter.com/JST7eou3W1
— Gavin Dorsey (@DorseyBullsRTB) November 4, 2025
With today and tomorrow off, Dosunmu's chances of playing Friday are promising. If he can go, it'll bolster Chicago's chances at continuing its blistering pace this season. In his five outings so far, he's averaged 16.2 points off the bench while shooting a career-best 57.7% from the field and 47.6% from three-point land. He has been the best player in the second unit and has been an integral part of the third-highest scoring bench in the league.
Dosunmu Has Been The Third Best Chicago Bull
Headed into this season, Arturas Karnisovas labeled the year as a "prove it" campaign for the entire roster. Finding out who was here to contribute and who could be discarded was of paramount importance. In the early going, Dosunmu has proven himself to be a mainstay for the Chicago Bulls. Outside of Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic, who are playing at an All-Star level and were expected to carry the load this season, Dosunmu has been the most surprising contributor and most improved player. He currently ranks seventh in the NBA in points off the pine, while only playing the 17th most minutes in that group. He's also the most efficient scorer of the top-nine bucket getters off the bench.
Ayo Dosunmu doing an excellent job leading the Bulls second unit… pic.twitter.com/v3OXjGECJI
— NBA University (@NBA_University) November 1, 2025
Will Chicago regain their best second-unit player for a crucial game on Friday night, or will the team need to continue calling upon others to replace Dosunmu's efficiency, scoring prowess, and playmaking ability?
