Ayo Dosunmu is averaging 13.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 22 games with Minnesota this season.
Ayo Dosunmu made the NBA Playoffs in his 2021-22 rookie season with the Chicago Bulls.
Like other young players who experience team and personal success early in a career, Dosunmu, now with the Minnesota Timberwolves following a deadline deal in February, figured that was the norm.
“Haven’t been back to the playoffs since,” he said.
The Timberwolves are close to clinching a top-6 seed in the Western Conference, and Dosunmu is moving toward a second playoff appearance.
“I can’t take it for granted,” Dosunmu said, “because you never know when you might get the opportunity again.”
The Bulls traded Dosunmu and Julian Phillips to the Timberwolves on Feb. 5 for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks.
Dosunmu, 26, will play a significant role in Minnesota’s postseason performance. Dosunmu was in the middle of a career year with Chicago, and the Timberwolves sought playmaking help in the backcourt. They found it in the versatile Dosunmu, who is listed as a guard but also starts at small forward.
He’s averaging career highs in points per game (14.7), 3-point percentage (44.3%) and free-throw percentage (87.1%), along with 3.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds and an efficient 51.4% from the field. His true shooting percentage (62.9%) is also a career best.
Ayo in the lab. pic.twitter.com/T9VmmxF76M
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) April 6, 2026
“Ayo’s just such a quick-decision maker. Doesn’t always make the flashy pass or the pass that leads to the assist, but he does unlock a lot of good offense by just moving it quickly,” said Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. “He makes a lot of good decisions. He doesn’t turn it over. And in that way, he helps everybody.”
The Bulls were still in the mix for the SoFi Play-In Tournament at the time of the trade with a 24-27 record, but they are 5-22 since and have been eliminated from the postseason.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves, who reached the Western Conference Finals in 2024 and 2025, are focused on another deep playoff run. They are 46-32 and in sixth place, three games behind the Houston Rockets and three games ahead of the Phoenix Suns.
Four games separate the third-place Los Angeles Lakers (50-28) and Denver Nuggets (50-28) from the Timberwolves. The Rockets are 49-29, and playoff positioning takes on an intriguing look. Lakers star Luka Dončić has a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, which will keep him out for the remainder of the regular season and his status for the playoffs is unknown. Lakers guard Austin Reaves will miss the remainder of the regular season and possibly playoff games with a Grade 2 left oblique injury.
The Timberwolves will face the Lakers, Nuggets or Rockets in the first round, and they will need Dosunmu.
“It’s great to be on an organization that’s used to playing deep in the playoffs,” he said.
Ayo Dosunmu racks up an 18-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist triple double to lead the Wolves to victory in Dallas.
Dosunmu had his best game with the Timberwolves in a March 30 victory against the Dallas Mavericks when he recorded an 18-point, 15-rebound, 12-assist triple-double. He made 8-of-13 shots, had three steals and committed just one turnover. He became:
• The third player in Timberwolves history to have at least 15 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, joining Kevin Garnett and Kevin Love.
• Just one of three players (Larry Bird, Nikola Jokić) in NBA history to record at least 15 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals, 60% or better from the field and one or fewer turnovers.
• The second Timberwolves player to generate 75 points, 42 rebounds and 32 assists over a four-game stretch. Garnett last did it 23 years ago.
“Anytime you’re in a conversation with those greats, it’s always a blessing,” Dosunmu said. “I always say triple-doubles are a blessing to get because you never come into a game saying, ‘I’m going to get a triple-double.’ It just happens.”
THE AYO TRIPLE-DOUBLE ASSIST 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ztcjuHgzjZ
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) March 31, 2026
Veteran Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, who one day could make a terrific addition to a coaching staff or front office, likes Dosunmu’s “unselfishness, his ability to push pace, but along with that, his character is top-notch. Just been really impressed with the way he approaches the game, and what he does on the court for us on a nightly basis can change.
“He’s not afraid to ask any questions, but I’m also one of those guys, if I see it, I just start to blurt something out. I don’t want them to miss out on the opportunity. I don’t want them to fail.”
Said Dosunmu: “He has been nothing but a great mentor, a great vet, a great teammate to me.”
Finch brought Dosunmu off the bench in the first five weeks after acquiring him in a trade and moved him into the starting lineup on March 17.
“It was fun and interesting to watch him get better every year,” Finch said. “That’s a really good sign when somebody can make a big step or even significant steps. This year, his 3-point shooting became real for the first time in his career – highly reliable. They (the Bulls) played such a fast style that tends to accentuate everybody. He really benefited from that.
“Once we had an opportunity to get him, I was very excited because he was the type of utility player that we needed and we hadn’t really had on our roster since Nickeil (Alexander-Walker) left.”
Finch had a conversation with Dosunmu after the trade and told him, “Just do you. We will figure it out as we go.”
Finch added: “That’s kind of how we treat everybody who joins us. We want them to be the best version of themselves. And then from there, we might say, ‘Hey, do a little more of this and do a little less of that.’ But we don’t want them to overthink it.”
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X.
