The Minnesota Timberwolves suddenly have a lot of guards, including Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr., and Bones Hyland. After the Wolves traded for Ball, I think Dosunmu has flown under the radar.
Still, it's fair to wonder what exactly his role will look like, considering the Wolves' more established ball-handlers. Minnesota's eagerness to empower Shannon and Jaden McDaniels on the ball, along with the addition of Jonathan Kuminga, adds some more complexity to this. Most likely, Dosunmu will spend a lot of time off the ball in the half-court, while still getting out in transition at an elite rate.
Thankfully, Dosunmu's experience playing on a guard-centric Chicago Bulls team will help him adjust to this role, as will his spot-up shooting abilities (he shot 43.9 percent from deep range last season). As a refresher, Ayo spent his first four-and-a-half seasons with the Bulls. In his final one-and-a-half season, particularly, the Bulls were loaded with guards.
Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Tre Jones were three guards who commanded the ball a lot during Dosunmu's time with the Bulls. He also played with Zach LaVine until the 2025 trade deadline. As such, it's safe to say that Dosunmu will be ready for the task and will thrive in this role.
Ayo Dosunmu will thrive alongside Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball
Dosunmu's positional breakdown from Cleaning the Glass helps paint the picture of how he adjusted to playing alongside some more ball-handlers in Chicago. During the 2024-25 season, he played 56 percent of his minutes as a shooting guard and 30 percent of his minutes as a small forward. Likewise, during his Bulls stint last season, he spent 62 percent of his time as a shooting guard and 19 percent of his time as a small forward.
With the Wolves, he spent a career-high 48 percent of his time as a point guard. Now, Minnesota needs him to play more of an off-guard/wing role, and he'll be up for the task. Ayo's malleability is what makes him such a special complementary player.
While there will be some opportunities when both Ant and LaMelo are off the court, generally speaking, Ayo will play alongside one or both of them. In fact, I think the Wolves will close games with Edwards, Ball, and Dosunmu, even if Kuminga starts.
At 6-foot-4, Dosunmu might seem undersized for a de facto small forward, but he has elite length at 6-foot-10. Furthermore, he is a great athlete with a ton of quickness. Considering this, I have no concerns about him guarding most opposing wings.
Offensively, three-guard lineups will be a real strength for the Wolves. In this lineup, the Wolves will have some lethal outside shooting, and Ayo's ability to thrive in a pure spot-up role will be key to making this pairing work. All the same, the Wolves will have a ton of creation and ball-handling in this lineup. Even if Dosunmu is mainly used off the ball, he is an elite transition threat, and he excels at attacking closeouts, which will lead to some natural rim opportunities.
Overall, based on Dosunmu's time with the Bulls and his skill set, he'll surely be able to coexist alongside multiple guards, which will make the Timberwolves a dangerous matchup.
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