Sustaining success without Jaden McDaniels, who is dealing with a week-to-week knee injury, will be a difficult task for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is immensely important as an on-ball stopper, spot-up shooter, and tertiary creator. Following this injury, Ayo Dosunmu has replaced him in the starting five.
To truly replicate McDaniels' impact, it will be a collective effort largely between Ayo, Anthony Edwards, and Donte DiVincenzo.
Early signs are promising for the Ant-Ayo-Donte trio
Ayo will mainly take over for McDaniels as an on-ball stopper, but they'll also need more defense from Edwards and DiVincenzo.
On offense, they'll need Donte's spot-up shooting even more, and any shot creation he provides will be a nice boost. We may also see Edwards spot-up more, as Dosunmu will be empowered more as a playmaker. Ayo has been on a tear lately, but without McDaniels, they'll need his scoring to remain at a high level.
Luckily, there are plenty of reasons to believe this trio can help the Wolves stay afloat (and perhaps even thrive). It goes beyond a blowout win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday.
According to Cleaning the Glass, in the 229 possessions the trio of Ant, Ayo, and Donte have played together, they post an absurd 25.2 net rating (128.4 offensive rating and 103.2 defensive rating).
The 3-point shooting aspect of this trio is crucial to their success. Furthermore, they have plenty of quickness, which allows them to play at a faster pace. Especially against smaller and quicker teams, this trio can be a formidable defensive unit.
Given the success of this trio, when McDaniels returns, I'd like to see some small lineups with this trio and JMAC at the four.
This trio will still have to prove themselves
McDaniels, providing everything he does at 6-foot-9, is a true luxury for the Timberwolves; this is something the Wolves' trio can't make up for in a vacuum. Still, as noted, they all share some similarities with McDaniels' impact, and without him, the Wolves will lean into the Ant, Ayo, and Donte trio.
Considering what we've seen from them, I feel pretty confident that this group can hold the fort. Nevertheless, their lack of size and how challenging it is to cover up for McDaniels' elite on-ball defense doesn't guarantee success.
Ayo is a high-level on-ball defender, but he's not the All-Defensive level player that McDaniels is. It's also fair to wonder if Ant can handle an elevated defensive role, as he's in the midst of a lackluster defensive season.
Initial reporting indicates the Timberwolves are gearing up the timeline to get McDaniels ready for the playoffs. As such, they might have to navigate the final seven games of the regular season without him. Given that the Wolves are fighting for playoff positioning, this stretch will be vital.
While the early results and lineup data of this trio are promising, the proof will be in the pudding for them to maintain success without McDaniels.