Currently, Ayo Dosunmu is listed as day-to-day with a calf injury. He missed Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets. Thankfully, his day-to-day label gives the Minnesota Timberwolves clear optimism that he'll return for the start of the second-round against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.
Calf injuries can be difficult, though, especially since there's a connection between calf and Achilles injuries. Plus, Dosunmu has been battling this recurring calf injury since late March.
As such, Ayo may unfortunately miss some time in this series, and when he plays, it's worth wondering if he can provide the full impact the Timberwolves need him to.
Dosunmu's all-around impact will be vital against the Spurs, but will his injury hinder him?
Undoubtedly, the Wolves will need a strong, well-rounded impact from Ayo to even have a puncher's chance against the Spurs. For starters, with Anthony Edwards out for at least the start of the series and possibly even the whole series, Dosunmu's shot creation will be vital.
Attacking the rim against Victor Wembanyama will be a difficult task, to say the least. Still, Dosunmu's elite finishing will benefit the Timberwolves, and they'll absolutely need his all-around scoring abilities. Dosunmu's 43-point performance in Game 4 is the best example of the offensive juice that he can provide.
He can also play a lead ball handler role, which will be crucial against a formidable perimeter defense. Without the 3-point shooting of Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, Ayo's spot-up shooting will be vital, and it could give the Wolves a chance to negate Wemby's historically elite rim protection.
On top of everything else, the Timberwolves will need Ayo's on-ball defense against the three-headed backcourt monster of Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, and Dylan Harper.
You get the point, the Wolves are depending on Ayo to provide a lot, and that could be risky considering his calf injury. On the bright side, Ayo's recurring injury hasn't negatively impacted his performance to date.
Still, it's fair to wonder whether he can overcome this injury and deliver the immense all-around impact the Wolves are counting on him for.
Even if Ayo has an A-plus series, it will be challenging for the Wolves to pull off an upset, but if he isn't healthy enough to do so, Minnesota's path to victory is virtually non-existent.
Given the nature of calf injuries, nothing is more important than Ayo's long-term health. Regardless, the question of how healthy and impactful he will be certainly hangs over the Wolves' chances to beat the Spurs.
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