As of now, the Minnesota Timberwolves have four guys guaranteed to be in the starting lineup next season. LaMelo Ball, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, and Rudy Gobert are all no-brainers. The big question looming is who the fifth starter will be.
Since that group doesn't have anyone who fits the bill of a traditional power forward, a lot of speculation has been about whether they will look externally for a trade or sign someone like Jonathan Kuminga (although I believe he'll be too expensive).
As far as in-house options go, they have Trey Lyles, who's a power forward but unlikely to be of starting caliber. Instead, they should go with what I deem a pretty obvious decision and slide McDaniels to the power forward spot and start Ayo Dosunmu on the wing.
Ayo Dosunmu's versatility fits perfectly in the starting lineup
While on paper, Dosunmu projects more as a combo guard, his versatility on both ends of the court is a perfect complement to the other members of the starting five. Dosunmu stands at 6'4 and weighs 200, not an ideal size for a small forward, but when you factor in that Ball is a 6'8 point guard and Edwards is built like a football player, size becomes a much smaller problem.
On right corner 3-pointers, Dosunmu shot 46.7 (!) percent. LaMelo Ball is one of the best playmakers in the league, and with Dosunmu in the corner, defenses will need to be glued to him, only freeing up more space for McDaniels, and Gobert.
Ayo is also just as good playing off the ball as he is playing on it. So while it may not be a "conventional" choice to put him at the three, he gives the Wolves offense and defense so much optionality within the starting lineup, something they've lacked the last two seasons.
Jaden McDaniels is a better fit at power forward than people realize
While McDaniels is one of the elite perimeter defenders we have in the game, would you believe me if I told you that that isn't even what he's best at on the defensive side of the ball? Where McDaniels thrives is as a weak-side rim protector, similar to the mold of Giannis Antetokounmpo, peak Jonathan Isaac, and other lengthy defensive wings.
Deploying him at the four next to Gobert would be a slightly different variation of what Oklahoma City does with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Hartenstein protects the rim similar to what Gobert does, and Chet has his blindside like McDaniels would.
Putting him at the four also improves the spacing of the starting lineup. It allows a good shooter like Dosunmu to take his spot at the three, and they can run a true four-out offense around Gobert. They weren't able to do this last season, and that's a main reason why the offense looked so clunky among the starters.
Maybe Ayo starts, and maybe he comes off the bench; either way, he'll have a huge role in the team's success. But starting your five best guys who also happen to fit seamlessly with each other isn't a decision that should be overthought.
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