Amid all the excitement about the Minnesota Timberwolves adding LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga, it must be acknowledged that both players carry some risk. For Ball, it's mainly in the form of injury history, while for Kuminga, it's mainly in the form of his fit, as his poor shot selection could derail the team's offense.
In either event, super-sub Ayo Dosunmu is ready for a bigger role if needed.
Dosunmu is an elite sixth man and starting-level guard. He provides an impressive all-around impact with his 3-point shooting, finishing, shot creation, connective playmaking, and perimeter defense. This skill set allows him to thrive playing alongside stars while giving him some scalability.
Ayo Dosunmu can slide into the Timberwolves' starting five
LaMelo's playmaking is elite, and his teams have routinely been much better with him on the floor. As such, Ball missing an extended period of time could cause them to slip. Yes, not having this same playmaking juice would be problematic, but Dosunmu can slide into the starting lineup and alleviate these concerns to some extent.
A starting lineup of Ayo, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Kuminga, and Gobert isn't championship-level, but it's playoff-level. Instead of a Ball injury plummeting the Wolves in the standings, they could still win a good number of games with this group.
They still have a ton of shot creation, some solid shooting, and plenty of athleticism and defense. Just as importantly, they don't have any major weak links in this lineup on either side of the floor.
The Kuminga side of things is more intriguing. If Ball gets injured, the theme will be staying afloat. However, if Kuminga doesn't adapt well to a complementary role, the theme will become helping the Timberwolves remain contenders.
I understand starting Kuminga for size reasons. Regardless, I firmly believe Ayo will be the team's primary closer, even if Kuminga embraces a complementary role. Dosunmu is a more natural off-ball player, and he'd provide the team with a clear shooting boost.
It's also possible that Dosunmu is better served as a complementary starter and Kuminga is better served as a super-sub. Having a starting-level player who could be a better fit with the Wolves' established players is a clear luxury.
Now, there would be some risks with Ayo filling in as a starter.
If he's forced to start in place of LaMelo, there would be some serious (and familiar) concerns about their playmaking. Starting him in place of Kuminga wouldn't be as problematic. In fact, as noted for spacing and usage purposes, this lineup might prove to be Minnesota's best five. Still, the Wolves' frontcourt size would be in question.
Having a starting-level player who you can comfortably trust with a starting role is a clear advantage for the Timberwolves, though.
And while there would be some concerns with these lineups, Dosunmu is certainly talented enough to help keep the Wolves afloat without Ball or allow them to thrive if Kuminga's fit proves to be problematic. All in all, given the volatility of two of Minnesota's starters, Ayo's value is immense.
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