Ayo Dosunmu has occupied a shocking number of theoretical roles this offseason with each transaction that the Minnesota Timberwolves made.
What started off looking like a quiet offseason turned into a busy one fast when the Wolves traded Julius Randle to the Brooklyn Nets before trading for LaMelo Ball and later signing Jonathan Kuminga. With each of these moves, there wasn’t a player whose role changed more than Dosunmu’s. He has started, come off the bench, has been slotted at every position but center at different points this offseason and has already been theoretically asked to fill 100 different roles on the roster — all before a game has been played or an official practice has been held.
With each passing transaction, Dosunmu’s position on the team has changed. But it speaks to his malleability and the confidence he’s instilled in Wolves fans after signing his extension this offseason. So, let’s take a trip down (short-term) memory lane to see how his role has evolved with each move Minnesota has made this summer.
Julius Randle Traded to Brooklyn
The Julius Randle trade to the Brooklyn Nets as part of a three-team deal was the first domino to drop in the offseason, and it occurred right around the same time Dosunmu signed his contract to stay with the Wolves for the foreseeable future. In a cost-cutting move that looked to be a sign that Minnesota would be ducking the tax, it traded Randle to get his contract off the books.
RELATED STORY: Wolves Deal Julius Randle in Three-Team Trade
At this point in time, it looked as though they were leaning into the Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and Naz Reid iteration of the team while also having Dosunmu being added to the mix with his new contract. With Randle departing to go along with Donte DiVincenzo’s injury, that left a lot of offensive usage on the table as well as two open starting lineup spots for the Wolves. Naz Reid would naturally fill one of those spots, and it was easy to see Dosunmu filling the other spot while starting alongside Edwards in the backcourt. Lineups that included Dosunmu and Edwards on the floor last season — given the caveat of smaller sample size because Dosunmu was acquired at the trade deadline — yielded fairly positive returns. According to Cleaning the Glass, they had a +3.1 net rating in 616 possessions while the two of them were on the floor together.
The goal would have been to have Dosunmu playing the de facto point guard next to Edwards. But that always seemed like an odd fit of placing a combo guard into a point guard-sized hole. Dosunmu is a very versatile player in that he can play point guard as well as shooting guard, but it always seemed like he was closer to a wing than a point guard. But, at this point in time, this is what was available on the Wolves’ roster. Dosunmu made a splash last season and has shown his upside as a key part of the team, but with the team constituted this way, it would have left a hole in the bench unit that would have been hard to fill with both Dosunmu and Reid entering the starting lineup.
LaMelo Ball Acquisition
A few days after the Randle news broke, the big swing happened. The Charlotte Hornets sent LaMelo Ball to the Wolves in exchange for Reid and picks. So, after the mental gymnastics we all ran through for a week wrapping our minds around Reid starting at power forward and likely Dosunmu starting at point guard, the calculus changed again.
RELATED STORY: Wolves Acquire LaMelo Ball for Naz Reid and Picks
It became a no-brainer that Ball would be the backcourt starting point guard next to Edwards, so where did that leave Dosunmu? Because Minnesota had given up multiple power forwards in Randle and Reid, a lot of people still expected Dosunmu to fill one of the wing/forward spots, depending on where they saw Jaden McDaniels fitting in.
So in less than a week, Dosunmu had gone from a point guard to a wing/forward. Not many players could make that jump, and yet that was the situation Dosunmu was cast into. His theoretical role next to Ball also shifted from a player who would be expected to have the ball in his hands and initiate offense to a player who would almost exclusively play off the ball off of Ball and Edwards gravity.
The idea of Dosunmu playing more off-ball is arguably better than what was initially going to be expected of Dosunmu before the Ball trade. Dosunmu is so good at playing quickly off the catch and is a lethal catch-and-shoot player that having him as an off-ball wing is exactly the role that maximizes his skillset. However, it still seemed unrealistic to have him as the fifth starter in this version of the Wolves.
It was easier to see Minnesota opting to start Jaylen Clark or TJ Shannon to keep Dosunmu’s pop from the bench while allowing for more unique lineup combinations and not forcing him to have to play power forward. While ideally he plays more off the catch, he does have some on-ball ability, which would be easier to tap into if he wasn’t playing alongside both Ball and Edwards as well as wreaking havoc on other backup backcourts.
Jonathan Kuminga Signing
The final domino to drop was Jonathan Kuminga deciding to come to Minnesota. He is a true power forward and, while there is some fit questions next to Rudy Gobert, it is much easier to see him providing the size and rebounding needed from the power forward position rather than trying to square-peg, round-hole it with other options on the roster like Dosunmu.
RELATED STORY: Wolves Sign Jonathan Kuminga to Round Out Starting Lineup
Because of this signing and the reporting around it being that Kuminga would be holding down the starting power forward spot, Dosunmu was put back into being a backup guard/wing spot. The good news is that is the best role for him to have. He is able to assert himself while spelling Ball and Edwards and being the jack-of-all-trades offensive and defensive player that we saw from him last season. He will have the opportunity to play on and off the ball while not being overextended as an initiator and being a primary second-side attacker where he can bowling ball towards the rim.
It took a roundabout trip to get to this point and multiple new players coming and going, but Dosunmu’s role does seem straightforward after being in flux for much of the offseason. Discussing Dosunmu this summer was nearly impossible because of all the areas he occupied on the roster, but it is an interesting thing to track from an overhaul offseason from the Wolves.
Sixth Man of the Year Candidate
All of the moves that resulted in Dosunmu resuming a bench role should give him a good opportunity to compete for the Sixth Man of the Year award this season. With Reid gone and Dosunmu already being on voters’ radar after receiving votes last season for the honor, it should lead him to be someone to watch in this award’s race. Of course, it will help if the Wolves are a top seed in the West this year, but he projects to play the most minutes off the Wolves bench this season which will boost his chances.
Last season, Dosunmu averaged 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 52.1% from the field, 41.4% from deep and 92.5% from the free throw line in 24 games with the Wolves last season, and played a huge role in Minnesota’s dismantling of the Denver Nuggets in the first round that included a 43-point masterclass in the game that DiVincenzo and Edwards both got injured in. His juice off the bench is noticeable and he should get an opportunity to start games if Minnesota takes a cautious approach with Ball given his injury history. If that’s the case, it could lead to eye-popping numbers from Dosunmu that will stick out to voters.
Dosunmu is the ultimate utility player who can fill a lot of different roles for this Wolves team, but his ability to bring a big bench boost will be huge in his first full season in Minnesota.
Leave a Reply