NBA Draft 2021: Will Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu Go Down as a Lottery Pick?

The 2020-21 college basketball season has come to a grand conclusion. Traditionally, a lot of college players tend to declare for the NBA Draft upon completing a season or two with their respective schools. Likewise, Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu is a name to watch out for in the 2021 NBA Draft. 

For those who are unaware of Ayo Dosunmu, he played three seasons with the Illinois Fighting Illini and cemented himself as a college basketball hero. Dosunmu earned the reputation of being a crafty combo guard due to his stellar displays with the Fighting Illini. 

Ayo Dosunmu is one of the several college players who has declared eligibility for the 2021 NBA Draft. The possibility of him going down as a higher pick increased after Dosunmu guided Illinois to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003.

While guys like Jalen Suggs and Cade Cunningham are expected to dominate the top draft lottery picks, a real case can be made for Dosunmu as well.

2021 NBA Draft: Can Ayo Dosunmu end up as a lottery pick? 

Ayo Dosunmu is one of the most reputed college juniors who has declared for the 2021 NBA Draft. While there might a few players who are ahead on the mock draft predictions, Dosunmu holds real value when it comes to controlling the game. 

Ayo Dosunmu averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in three seasons with the Fighting Illini. The Chicago native really picked up his game in his junior year and decided to enter the NBA soon after. 

He’s a really confident defender who can guard multiple positions standing at six-foot-six. While he doesn’t have a huge frame, Dosunmu’s quick bursts of speed can be vital in getting buckets. 

CBS Sports has listed that Ayo Dosunmu will go down as the 18th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, while ‘NBA Draft Room’ has predicted that Dosunmu will be a late lottery or a mid-level pick.

These are similar predictions, in fact. While Ayo Dosunmu is a worthy player to have, he still needs to get stronger to fetch rebounds and improve on his distance shooting. An NBA lottery pick is when the non-playoff teams from the previous season get assigned the top picks in Round 1. 

While Dosunmu doesn’t fit into the category of a Top 10 draft pick, his value might skyrocket after doing individual workouts with lottery pick teams. But right now, it doesn’t look like Ayo Dosunmu will go down as a lottery pick in the upcoming 2021 NBA Draft. 

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