Anthony Edwards' knee injury puts the Minnesota Timberwolves in a bind for the time being. However, the Wolves have responded pretty well so far, posting a 3-2 record. It's been a true team effort, and I have a lot of nice things to say about most members of this team, but man, Ayo Dosunmu has been fantastic in Edwards' absence.
It was fair to wonder how much Dosunmu would truly scale up without Ant. Now, though, it's safe to say he's proving that he can thrive in a scaled-up role. So far without Edwards, Ayo is averaging 19.8 points (which is a team high), 6.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 52.6/36/88.9 shooting splits. Frankly, Dosunmu has been the Wolves' best player with Edwards sidelined, and he's helping ease some concerns about the team.
During the Wolves' 117-107 win over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night, Ayo had another great outing, recording 21 points, six assists, and a rebound. While LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga were the standout players for Minnesota down the stretch, it was Ayo who kept the offense afloat and set the tone early on.
Ayo Dosunmu has been fantastic without Anthony Edwards
Primarily, Dosunmu has had success as a creator due to his elite downhill scoring. Ayo uses his speed to get to the rim at an elite rate. He also moves with a ton of force, typically operating going north to south.
Dosunmu doesn't have a crazy dribbling bag, and he's not super flashy. Regardless, Ayo's style of driving is super effective, and it allows him to generate shots at a high rate every single night. Whether it's punishing poor rim protectors as he did against Alperen Sengun on Wednesday or challenging elite ones like Victor Wembanyama on Saturday, Ayo's driving is a massive boost to the Wolves' offense, particularly without Edwards.
LaMelo receives a ton of pressure from opposing defenses, and they challenge his lack of physicality. As such, having a player like Dosunmu who can consistently generate rim pressure and create for himself is an undeniable advantage. For the season, Ayo is averaging 5.1 rim attempts per game, which ranks in the 98th percentile per Databallr, and he's shooting 73.2 percent at the rim.
Moreover, Dosunmu's ability to get to the rim and push the pace helps the Wolves get out in transition more and play faster. This style of play is really hard for opposing defenses to deal with, especially since the Wolves have so many offensive threats.
While Ayo's ability to get to the rim has been the most impressive part of his game so far, he contributes to winning in so many ways. Dosunmu has helped organize the Wolves' offense as a playmaker, especially when Ball is off the court. He's not a point guard, but he's a smart and versatile passer who can handle PG-like duties in spurts.
Ayo is a rock-solid 3-point shooter who thrives spotting up, even if he doesn't shoot a high volume of outside shots. Defensively, Dosunmu is pesky at the point of attack, and he has the strength and size needed to guard wings. He's not an All-Defensive guy or anything, but he forces turnovers, navigates screens, and disrupts opponents on the ball at a high level. Furthermore, Ayo has done a great job of crashing the glass.
When Edwards returns, the Wolves will lean on these complementary skills more. Nevertheless, for now, Dosunmu's ability to create offense for himself is the most important aspect of his impact.
If Dosunmu keeps it up, the Timberwolves will have no problem managing Edwards' absence—they're already off to a promising start.
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