Ayo Dosunmu is a special player due to his all-around skill set and scalability. Simply put, his game has no major flaws. More importantly, perhaps, if the team needs him to play a pure complementary role, he can do that, and if they need him to scale up, he can do that too.
I'm sure we'll see his creation juice and finishing used at times this season. However, what the Minnesota Timberwolves will mainly need from Ayo is his off-ball abilities.
The Wolves have a lot of cooks in the kitchen with Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels, Jonathan Kuminga, and Ayo. Heck, they even want to empower Terrence Shannon Jr. on the ball. And with McDaniels' offensive growth, he shouldn't be the odd man out. Something has to give, and the Wolves need players who can accept a complementary role, in which they do more with less. Thankfully, Dosunmu can do just that.
Part of my calculation for this usage puzzle to be solved is Kuminga becoming more of a play-finisher. But another major part of it is that Ayo can excel off the ball due to his basketball IQ and 3-point shooting. While Kuminga adapting to this role is a question mark, we know for sure that Dosunmu can excel off the ball.
Ayo Dosunmu can thrive in a complementary role
Last season, Dosunmu netted an absurd 43.9 percent of his 3-point shots. His dependable spot-up shooting allowed him to fit seamlessly alongside Edwards from the jump. This skill set will also ensure that he's a perfect fit with Ball.
Now, his 3-point volume isn't super high. Per Databallr, he ranked in the 36th percentile for 3-point attempts per 75 possessions. However, playing alongside Ball should allow him to increase his volume while he remains hyper-efficient. Ayo is also a skilled cutter and off-ball mover, which further allows him to complement stars.
Another factor is that Ball will create advantages for Dosunmu to attack off the catch. Given his speed and ability to pressure the rim, Dosunmu should thrive at this, even if it's more of a complementary offensive role where he's not initiating the offense.
I touched on Ayo's transition excellence earlier, but this (along with attacking advantages) is where we see more of the rim-pressure part of his game. Dosunmu's ability to run in transition and attack the rim allows him to find natural scoring opportunities for himself without limiting the involvement of stars.
Doing so while mainly playing off the ball in the half-court makes Dosunmu well-suited for a complementary role. Ayo is already a positive defender. He navigates screens at an elite level, is feisty on the ball, and is highly engaged off the ball.
Regardless, with his offensive role being a bit more simplified this season, Dosunmu could reach another gear on defense. Taking on tougher matchups to free up McDaniels and becoming a more disruptive defensive playmaker (which could further bolster his transition effectiveness) are two realistic areas of growth.
If Dosunmu can improve his already solid defense and be an ideal complementary piece on offense, he'll be recognized more as an elite role player.
Overall, amid some concerns about how a team with so many on-ball players will fit together,there should be no worries about Dosunmu, who will be the connective glue guy that the Timberwolves need.
Add us as a preferred source on Google