Through the first five years of his career with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, Ayo Dosunmu has split his time almost equally between coming off the bench and being in the starting lineup. He has made 173 starts and 175 appearances as a reserve.
If the Wolves are serious about not starting Jaden McDaniels at power forward, that would likely mean Dosunmu will not be in the starting five. Looking at his play during his first three-month stint with Minnesota, he is a sneaky-strong candidate to win Sixth Man of the Year in 2026–27.
Dosunmu would thrive in a reserve role
This offseason, Dosunmu was re-signed by the Timberwolves to a five-year deal worth $112 million. That might seem like starter money, but it is actually less than the $125 million over five years they gave Naz Reid in 2025 to come off the bench. Of course, Reid won Sixth Man of the Year in the 2023-24 season and established himself as a regular candidate for this award.
After joining Minnesota in February, Dosunmu started nine of his 24 regular-season games. In his 15 games off the bench, he posted averages of 11.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. Dosunmu's scoring was rather efficient as well, shooting 54.1 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from 3-point range, and 87.5 percent from the free-throw line in those contests.
Sixth Man of the Year has almost always been an award that prioritizes scoring, so with Reid no longer on the team, Dosunmu should become the team’s best scorer off the bench—if that is the role in which he is used.
Games 3 and 4 of the opening-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets fully showcased what he can do off the bench. In Game 3, Dosunmu finished with 25 points and nine assists. In the following outing, he dropped 43 points. Yes, he played 42 minutes in that contest, with Donte DiVincenzo tearing his Achilles in the first quarter and Anthony Edwards hyperextending his knee in the second. Still, it further showed how dynamic he can be at any given time.
Right now, the 26-year-old is considered a long shot for the award. BetMGM currently lists 89 players in the 6MOY odds, and Dosunmu is not one of them. Perhaps they believe he will start, and he certainly will at times, but as long as more than half of his games are played off the bench, Dosunmu will be eligible.
With Reid out of town, the trend of the Timberwolves having a 6MOY candidate would likely continue if Dosunmu is mostly used in a reserve role.
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