Since Anthony Edwards went down with a knee injury, Ayo Dosunmu has stepped into the starting lineup and his offense has taken off with it.
The Timberwolves guard backed up that surge Sunday night with 26 points in a win over the Jazz, and head coach Chris Finch said the production hasn’t come out of nowhere.
“I mean, I think it's always been in there,” said Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, who was asked about the University of Illinois product’s scoring increase after he went for 26 points in a win over the Jazz on Sunday night. “I think a lot of his game is the same.
… It's not like he's necessarily had to go and search for something to up his production. I think a lot of it is also related to just the shots that we've been able to generate.
Like I said earlier, pretty high quality, so he's making a lot of big shots too, big timely shots, and they feel open and in the rhythm of the offense.”
Over his last seven games, Dosunmu has averaged 21.6 points per game while knocking down 47 percent of his 3-point tries on 36 attempts. The Chicago native has been efficient all season, posting a 62.5 true shooting percentage that ranks in the 88th percentile league-wide, per Databallr.
What has stood out most is how quickly he’s making decisions with the ball. Whether he’s creating his own shot or setting up teammates, Dosunmu has been playing with a clear, direct rhythm.
“Yeah, that's pretty much how I was introduced to the game of basketball, always quick reads, make quick decisions - .5 decisions,” said Dosunmu. “That's just my mindset, as I was able to, you know, continue my professional career in the NBA. … But always, you know, had a mindset of making quick decisions, being efficient, being efficient in my moves, and my shot, and my steps, and my approach to the game, and the rest of my job.”
That efficiency has shown up in more ways than one. Dosunmu’s 62.5 true shooting percentage would be the second-best mark of his career, per Databallr, and a big piece of that has been his work getting downhill. He’s averaging 6 shots per game inside five feet of the rim, per NBA Stats.
Dosunmu said the extra chances near the basket have come from more freedom, more minutes and the way the Timberwolves play. He also pointed directly to Rudy Gobert.
“Definitely more freedom, more opportunity, just the minutes that I’ve been blessed to play with, but also just the way we play, and Rudy (Gobert), I give a lot of credit to him,” said Dosunmu. “I tell people all the time he’s the best screener in the NBA.
His ability to set screens and create shots, not just for me getting downhill but … if you’re just watching with the naked eye, you don’t understand how important that is. But when you go against someone like Rudy, who sets screens, and when you’re a guard like me who navigates it, you understand that it’s important to have someone who really sets a screen.”
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