With Anthony Edwards out for the next two or so months, the Minnesota Timberwolves are looking for answers from just about everybody. Ayo Dosunmu is one of the clearest pressure points in all of this, because the Wolves are asking him to move from support piece to a bigger part of the engine.
That shift was on display in the first game without Edwards. Dosunmu finished with 17 points, four assists, three rebounds and four steals, and he looked like one of Minnesota’s most effective players.
But the underlying numbers tell a more complicated story: every one of his made field goals was assisted, and he posted a 16.6 usage rate. In other words, the production was real, but the on-ball burden was still lighter than Minnesota will need it to be.
That’s the heart of the issue with Dosunmu. He has long been at his best next to established scorers, working in a complementary lane.
But there’s also reason to believe he can do more. He already has one huge proof point on his résumé: a 43-point playoff game against the Denver Nuggets last season.
And beyond the headline number, he’s an elite downhill scorer, which matters now more than ever for a team trying to replace Edwards’ creation.
The Timberwolves didn’t hand Dosunmu a $112 million contract just to let him play a background role forever. The bet was that he could scale up when the situation demanded it, and this is exactly that situation.
If he can handle more of the offense, Minnesota has a much cleaner path through life without Ant. If he can’t, the attack could stall and the Wolves could quickly find themselves behind the eight ball.
There’s reason for optimism, though. Dosunmu had a seven-game stretch without Edwards last season in which he averaged 18.7 points. That doesn’t guarantee anything over a longer absence, but it does show he’s handled a larger load before.
His rim pressure may be the most important piece of that puzzle. Last season, Dosunmu ranked in the 98th percentile for rim attempts per 75 possessions according to Databallr.
A lot of that damage came in transition, but his game against Denver showed he can also make life difficult in the half-court as a downhill scorer. That ability is going to matter even more if Minnesota is trying to replace Edwards’ perimeter creation.
The Wolves also need Dosunmu to punish defenses that try to hide a weaker defender on him. That becomes especially important against elite defenses and strong rim protection, where Minnesota will need him to be more than just a connector. He’ll have to generate offense when the easy stuff disappears.
He’s also being asked to help take some of the pressure off LaMelo Ball as a secondary ball-handler. That part of the job has started to come into focus, too.
Dosunmu has been sharper as a playmaker this season, making good reads off his drives and showing he can function as a steady table-setter. Against the Orlando Magic, he even had nine assists.
The bigger question is whether that can hold up consistently. Dosunmu has flashed that kind of passing before, but it has never been the main feature of his game. Now, Minnesota needs it to become more than a flash.
Wednesday gave the Timberwolves a decent first look at what this version of Dosunmu can look like. The next step is whether he can keep scaling up as both a scorer and creator, because that may end up being one of the biggest swing factors in how Minnesota survives without Edwards.
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LaMelo Ball is about to get a different kind of Minnesota spotlight, one that usually comes with playoff-level scrutiny and very little room to breathe. The discussion around him has centered on how he handles physical perimeter defense, and the upcoming matchup offers a clean test for that part of his game, with the Wolves watching closely to see whether his shooting and playmaking hold up when the pressure ramps up.
Without Anthony Edwards in the mix, the defensive attention on Ball figures to be even sharper, which makes the matchup feel less like a routine regular-season night and more like a preview of the kind of resistance he would have to solve in a bigger setting. For Minnesota, the appeal is obvious: if Ball can keep creating against that sort of resistance, it strengthens the case that his game can translate when the stakes rise. [Read more 🡒]
LaMelo Ball Is Creating A Problem The Wolves Can't Afford Right Now
LaMelo Balls early run with Minnesota has come with a frustrating pattern the Timberwolves cant really ignore. Through the first seven games, foul trouble has followed him in six of them, cutting into his rhythm and limiting him to an average of 26 minutes a night at a time when the team is already trying to hold things together without Anthony Edwards.
The latest example came against the Spurs, when Ball was whistled early and never fully settled in. Minnesota needs his playmaking and energy on the floor, but the defensive lapses have kept undercutting that value, including a sequence against Victor Wembanyama that summed up the problem: too much contact, too little availability, and not enough margin for error right now. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Look Like A Team To Watch In Trade Talks
Anthony Edwards injury is the latest jolt in what has already become a rough early stretch around the NBA, and it lands especially hard for Minnesota. With several All-Stars already dealing with major setbacks, including Jalen Williams season-ending leg injury, the leagues opening weeks have started to feel less like a clean evaluation period and more like a stress test for front offices trying to hold their plans together.
For the Timberwolves, the immediate concern is obvious: Edwards is central to everything they do, and any extended absence changes the tone of the season before it really settles in. Around the league, injuries of this size tend to ripple beyond the standings, and this one could have front offices watching the calendar a little more closely as November approaches and trade chatter starts to pick up. [Read more 🡒]