Dosunmu seems excited about returning to the playoffs.
Ayo Dosunmu hasn't been to the playoffs since his rookie year, and at Thursday's practice he didn't hide how much that realization has stuck with him.
After arriving in Minnesota at the trade deadline, the 26-year-old guard is back in the postseason picture, and the Timberwolves are counting on him to be more than a role player when Game 1 tips off against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.
"It felt great. I'm blessed, highly favored, excited just to be a part of the playoffs," Dosunmu said. "I was blessed and spoiled my rookie year coming to the NBA to be able to start a playoff game and then be able to be in the playoffs my rookie year and then I ain't been back since. So just the importance of that and understanding that you never know when next time you may be back. So just taking the most out of it, not taking it for granted."
What He's Brought to Minnesota
Since Chicago shipped him to Minnesota on February 5, Dosunmu has slotted in as one of the most trusted pieces in Chris Finch's rotation, averaging 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists across 24 games with the Wolves while shooting above 50 percent from the field and knocking down 44.5 percent of his threes.
Those numbers stretch beyond what most second-unit guards bring to a contender.
His role expanded even more when Anthony Edwards missed chunks of the final stretch with knee maintenance.
Over one four-game run as a starter, Dosunmu averaged 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5.5 assists on 50/47/90 shooting splits, including a triple-double against Dallas of 18 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists.
He has also steadied the locker room through a choppy final month, recently urging teammates to lean into each other rather than splinter apart after back-to-back losses.
The X-Factor Case Against Denver
Minnesota closed the regular season at 49-33 and drew the six seed, while Denver locked up the three seed with a 54-28 record after a 12-game winning streak.
The Nuggets finished with the league's top offense and 21st-ranked defense, a combination the Timberwolves believe they can attack if they play fast.
Pairing Dosunmu with Bones Hyland gives the Wolves one of the quickest two-guard looks in the league, and the duo has helped push Minnesota's pace from 25th last season to 10th this year.
If the Wolves can force transition and make Jokic defend in space, Dosunmu becomes a real problem on the perimeter, attacking closeouts and running secondary actions behind Edwards and Julius Randle.
That type of creator was something Minnesota simply didn't have last spring against Oklahoma City.
Joe Ingles said the team is going in confident despite the seeding gap, and part of that comes from what Dosunmu has quietly built.
He's played in just five playoff games and knows how rare this chance is. Thursday, he sounded like someone who doesn't plan on wasting it.