Ayo Dosunmu's on/off numbers have been a point of criticism early on. I have preached that this is a small sample size, and have been impressed by Ayo's impact eye test-wise. However, the Wolves being 22.6 points worse per 100 possessions with Ayo on the court, according to Cleaning the Glass, certainly is worth noting.
Watching the games, I've been surprised by how much Chris Finch has paired Dosunmu with Bones Hyland. To me, this doesn't maximize Ayo's offensive skill set, and the numbers back it up. Thus far, Dosunmu has spent 43.7 percent of his minutes with Bones, and these lineups have a minus-23.4 net rating. However, in the 220 possessions with just Ayo and not Hyland, the Wolves have a much better plus-1.2 net rating.
For the rest of the season, Finch should largely abandon these Ayo-Bones minutes with the hopes of maximizing Dosunmu's impact.
I'm not saying Ayo and Bones should never touch the court at the same time. That's pretty unrealistic to call for, given that they're the team's seventh and eighth men. Regardless, trying to stagger their minutes more would be in everyone's best interest.
Pairing Ayo and Bones together isn't ideal
Dosunmu is much more of a jack of all trades and a better defender than Hyland. Still, one clear similarity they share is the ability to generate rim pressure and inject pace.
On paper, it makes sense to pair these two players together as the Wolves can fully lean into this fast-paced style. In reality, though, Bones often takes on lead ball-handling duties, which forces Ayo to play a spot-up role.
Given that Dosunmu is shooting 44.2 percent from beyond the arc this season, a spot-up role isn't inherently bad. At the same time, relegating him to a pure spot-up role doesn't optimize his skill set, particularly his abilities as a physical downhill finisher. This is especially the case since many of these lineups feature Anthony Edwards and/or Julius Randle.
While he is a true combo guard rather than a point guard, Dosunmu provides a sense of stability and playmaking that Bones doesn't, as he is more of a microwave bucket getter. Using Ayo in a pure 3-and-D role isn't the absolute worst thing in the world, and I assume the numbers with this Dosunmu/Hyland pairing will improve.
If the Wolves want to get the most out of Ayo, though, then he should be used more as a lead ball handler to optimize his abilities as a finisher and playmaker. To me, Ayo is too talented to be in a pure 3-and-D role, especially given the Wolves' need for more rim pressure.
Of course, if Ayo is playing with Edwards and/or Randle, he'll still play off the ball a lot. Nevertheless, if he's empowered as the "point guard" in these lineups, it would be a difference maker for him and the Timberwolves.