Ayo Dosunmu Looks to Hone in on Fundamentals After Preseason Loss to Pacers

In their most recent preseason game, the Minnesota Timberwolves lost to the Indiana Pacers 123-112 in a game that was played in Ames, Iowa, the former college home of Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. 

After the game, Timberwolves guard Ayo Dosunmu spoke to the media, and he revealed what he's looking to improve on ahead of the start of the regular season. 

"I have to do a better job of boxing out and I think that's the main thing," Dosunmu said. "A lof of the times the rebounds we have been giving up have just been easy fundamental things we can clean up."

In this game, the Timberwolves were outrebounded by the Pacers, 43-40.  Minnesota allowed 13 offensive rebounds this game, but outrebounded the Pacers on that end by 1. Still, being able to rebound the ball will have to be a crucial point of emphasis for the Timberwolves this season. 

While rebounding was an element that Dosunmu felt Minnesota lacked in this game, he was pleased with the overall decision-making of his squad. He said he was pleased with the team's ability to play downhill on fast-break opportunities and find the best shot possible in those situations. 

Fast-break opportunities are something Minnesota will see a lot of next season. Point guard LaMelo Ball is one of the best guards in downhill situations and has made a career of finding open teammates consistently. 

Dosumnu specifically may benefit a lot from this moving forward. He mentioned that the Timberwolves were able to get a lot of three-point shots up, something that could help them offensively moving forward. 

Dosunmu joined Minnesota midseason from the Chicago Bulls, and during the 24 games he played, he shot 41.4 percent from long range. If the Timberwolves continue to emphasize playing at a fast pace, he could see a career year in scoring because the fast-break three-point opportunities will continue to be there for him. 

As for other players like Anthony Edwards or Jonathan Kuminga, it helps them out a lot, too. Teams will need to make a decision on who to commit to between LaMelo Ball or Edwards while Jonathan Kuminga is a threat to score in the paint. 

Minnesota is one of the most dynamic teams in the NBA on paper, and if head coach Chris Finch and the coaching staff can continue to find ways to take advantage of this team's versatility, they could make a deep playoff run.