SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Dirty is not in Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu’s makeup.
He isn’t looking to play enforcer or be the guy whom cameras pick up getting in the faces of teammates.
What is in his DNA, however, is Chicago.
So if that means a guy such as Patrick Beverley — who was a mentor to Dosunmu in his short time with the Bulls last season — needs a reminder about physicality, Dosunmu has no problem showing him the hardwood, as he did with a shoulder block in a loss Friday to the Bucks.
If that means letting vets such as DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic know they need to be reminded of the details in a huddle, Dosunmu has no problem loud-talking teammates. He showed that in a double-overtime victory Wednesday against the Cavaliers, and DeRozan embraced it.
And with 21 games left in the regular season after the Bulls’
impressive 113-109 comeback victory against the Kings — a game in which Coby White scored a career-high 37 points and DeRozan 33 and the Bulls rallied from a 22-point third-quarter deficit — that might be exactly what they need.
‘‘It comes with the responsibility to know your teammates more than just basketball,’’ Dosunmu said of his changing role. ‘‘Off the court, understanding their background, understanding their tendencies, and I think I’ve done a good job of that. And then once you feel like you get to that point, you feel comfortable, your teammates feel comfortable taking tough love and receiving tough love.
‘‘When it gets to that point and you’re in those battles, you really can’t hold it in because one extra possession of not talking to your teammates and holding that message in may lead to some continuous downfall of play. In those moments, I just try and deliver the message any way I can.’’
As Beverley learned, the message can be delivered harshly.
The one criticism of the Bulls’ roster since executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas put it together is that it isn’t tough enough. So for Dosunmu to do what he did to Beverley, who spent so many after-practice hours working with him, inches toward Kobe Bryant taking out then-Lakers teammate Pau Gasol in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
‘‘It’s about the guy wearing the Bucks uniform,’’ Dosunmu said. ‘‘Pat Bev is a great competitor; he’s a good friend of mine. But when I’m out there with my teammates who wear the same jersey as me, I just want to compete with them. That’s my mindset.
‘‘Off the court, we can go to dinner, talk. He calls all the time; we talk often. But on the court, it’s about who wears my jersey, and I’m willing to go to war with whoever wears that jersey with me.’’
That mentality is what coach Billy Donovan appreciates about Dosunmu: He wants direct criticism and isn’t afraid to criticize directly.
‘‘He’s got a pretty clear understanding of what’s right and wrong, and when the team is not doing well, he’ll call guys out and say things,’’ Donovan said. ‘‘But he does it in a very respectful way.’’
That’s why Dosunmu isn’t about to label himself some over-the-top NBA tough guy. It comes down to being a leader but speaking and playing from the heart. If that rubs some the wrong way, so be it.
‘‘To be honest, if I was to do a survey of our team and what we really need, I wouldn’t say [acting tougher] is a top priority,’’ Dosunmu said. ‘‘I would say we need to come together with our attention to details. We show flashes sometimes; we show flashes too often in desperate mode. If we brought that mentality every night, every possession, you would see a team that’s tougher, tougher mentally, just more gritty.’’
