I've written countless articles about how much trading for Ayo Dosunmu has benefited the Minnesota Timberwolves. In short, Dosunmu fills in numerous gaps for the Wolves, including secondary creation, rim pressure, transition scoring, spot-up shooting, playmaking, and defense.
Thinking about things from Ayo's perspective, the Timberwolves are not only giving him a chance to contribute to competitive basketball, but they're giving him a bigger role than the Chicago Bulls did. Getting both of these things from a new team is rare, and I'm sure Ayo is delighted.
The Timberwolves are giving Ayo Dosunmu what the Bulls couldn't
The winning piece is pretty obvious. While the Wolves have had a topsy-turvy season, they are still a bona fide playoff team that could make the leap to title contention. And with all due respect, the Bulls are a mess. As a refresher, Chicago is 30-49 and just fired their front office after years of mediocrity.
Despite the Bulls not being a competitive team, Ayo played slightly fewer minutes (2.6 per game) during his time in Chicago. While he still played a respectable 26.4 MPG, the Bulls' surplus of guards limited Dosunmu's minutes to some extent. The trio of Josh Giddey, Coby White, and Tre Jones didn't allow Dosunmu's all-around skill set to shine.
On the other hand, Minnesota has desperately needed a guard with Ayo's skill set, and he's been empowered in the offense. During 23 games with the Wolves, Dosunmu has been used as a versatile chess piece. With Anthony Edwards being in and out of the lineup recently, we've seen more of Ayo's self-creation and playmaking. Notably, over the last nine games, he's averaging 18.7 points and 4.9 assists.
Admittedly, when the Wolves are at full health, these numbers likely won't be sustainable. Regardless, Ayo has proven that he can scale up when called upon.
He's also been allowed to play more freely, averaging 1.1 mid-range attempts with the Wolves compared to six total mid-range shots with the Bulls. This leap highlights how Ayo is being given more duties as a shot creator. At the same time, Ayo's defense, continuous energy, connective playmaking, and spot-up shooting allow him to complement the Wolves' stars at a high level.
Ayo has found a perfect home in Minnesota
Overall, the biggest difference between the Wolves and the Bulls is the ability to play for a competitive team. This, paired with Ayo being able to showcase more of his on-ball abilities and playing freely in a bigger role, makes this new situation perfect for him.
After playing on the middling Bulls for five seasons, it's safe to assume that Ayo is thrilled to have a bigger role on a far better team. The Timberwolves will have to work out a new contract with Dosunmu this offseason, which could be expensive.
Nevertheless, Dosunmu has proven to be an integral part of the Wolves' future, and it's hard to imagine that he'd want to leave.