Not long ago, re-signing a player for five years and 112 million dollars would have been the summer’s top news for any team. Even more so in Minnesota, where the cold itself doesn’t want to stay.
But the Timberwolves have shaken up so many things in just a few months that the continuity of Ayo Dosunmu has fallen almost into the background.
Tim Connelly, the president of basketball operations, brought in a new starting point guard, LaMelo Ball, and that has been enough to capture all the media’s attention. But he has also added Jonathan Kuminga to the project, while, along the way, he bid farewell to Naz Reid, one of the fans’ most beloved players, and Julius Randle, the team’s second scoring option over the past two seasons.
Amid the upheaval, Dosunmu belongs to the group of players who stay, and Reid’s departure gives him the role of sixth man and primary reserve whenever LaMelo is still finding his bite and the T-Wolves need more edge.
His re-signing was completed before Ball’s trade, and neither side could have imagined how well it would fit the team. He landed on his feet and fit like a glove from day one in a locker room that, if it wants to compete with the top teams (Spurs, Thunder, Nuggets), will have to summon all the bite.
“It was hugely important to retain him,” says Chris Finch in a feature by Jon Krawczynski for The Athletic. “His role grows in importance compared to last year: we need him to do the same thing, but with more explosiveness, more scoring and more ability to move from one bucket to another.”
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Dosunmu also understands that the new contract comes with new responsibilities. And he hasn’t waited for the season to begin to show a clear sign of his new level of awareness.
“Now I feel settled in the organization, I understand the attack and the defense, so I can be heard more,” he explains. “I just want to do whatever it takes to help the team win. Whatever is needed: speak more, take a step forward as a leader, and hold each other accountable.”
The first to notice that these words are more than words is the Wolves’ ace in his ‘bad cop’ version: Anthony Edwards.
The guard is used to moving freely around the training facilities. His voice naturally commands respect and his swagger rarely meets resistance. For much of the summer and into the preseason, however, he has finally found someone willing to meet every provocation.
In informal scrimmages and team drills, Dosunmu has stuck to him like a mussel to a rock. He tightens his grip, challenges him, and when Edwards responds verbally, the echo of the earlier taunts finds its match in the trash talk. Minnesota wants to reclaim its status as a contender, and its new sixth man has decided that one way to start is to raise the bar even higher for the team’s best player.
Who is the most delighted with this? Exactly: Edwards himself. More than a flaw in his rival, he has seen in Ayo the hare that pushes him to accelerate his pace.
“It’s fun, man. There aren’t many who match my provocations, so having someone like him on my team, and not opposite me, is amazing. He’s from Chicago, so he brings that grit, that toughness I love and which we’ve been needing for years,” Edwards says.
The personality of Dosunmu has become one of the recurring topics when talking about the Wolves’ atmosphere. Ball and Kuminga have brought a different energy to the workouts, a breath of fresh air that was probably needed after the playoff exit to the Spurs in the second round. Dosunmu is contributing to that renewal from within, showing a facet that had barely been seen during his first months in Minnesota or during his Bulls days.
Now, settled into the environment and feeling important and valued, he is daring enough to reveal a revealing side of himself.
“Lead by example,” his teammate Jaylen Clark confesses. “Now I know how he works and I know that he sees that I work too. We have a great relationship. But if you’re one of those who talk the talk, you won’t fit with him.”
As notable statistical milestones in his first season in Minneapolis (albeit only four months), Dosunmu already logged an impressive triple-double of 18 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in a win over Dallas, or his 43 points on 13-for-17 shooting against Denver in the first round of the playoffs.
Since arriving in Minnesota he has averaged 14.4 points and 4.2 rebounds, with a 41 percent mark from three-point range.
During negotiations, there was some concern in Minnesota that another franchise might lure him away in free agency. In the end, after several back-and-forths, both sides reached an agreement.
“I feel lucky. This is my home. This is where I wanted to be from the start.”
I want people to look back in three years and say, ‘What a bargain of a contract.’ I’m even more focused now, because I feel a greater responsibility to go out and compete, give it my all, and help this organization win a championship.”
