The Minnesota Timberwolves took one of the biggest injury hits in the NBA this season.
Four games into the 2026-27 campaign, Anthony Edwards went under the knife for a right knee arthroscopic procedure. This will keep him out for roughly two months. It was a blow to what should have been easy sailing in the regular season for the Timberwolves.
One would think that the offseason addition of LaMelo Ball would supplement what Minnesota is missing from Edwards, but it is Ayo Dosunmu who is filling the massive All-Star void.
The Timberwolves were 3-1 with Edwards on the floor. He was averaging 33.3 points per game while hitting 40% from three-point range. That is a lot of production missing.
With Edwards off the court, Minnesota started rocky but has rebounded. They are now 5-2 sans Edwards. That is impressive, keeping the team afloat without their All-Star playing. How has this happened? Dosunmu.
In the first four games of the season when Edwards was playing, Dosunmu averaged 26.3 minutes and dropped 12.0 points per game. Those are good numbers, but with Edwards off the floor, Dosunmu changes his game completely.
Dosunmu has elevated his game in the seven contests since the Edwards injury. He is averaging 34.3 minutes each night and is dropping 21.6 points per game. This includes Dosunmu going 17-of-36, 47.2%, from three-point range. That is an insane number.
Minnesota Timberwolves are competing with the top of the Western Conference thanks to Ayo Dosunmu
This was one of the best trades the Timberwolves could have made. They went out and got Dosunmu toward the end of last season. Minnesota re-signed him in the offseason, and now it is paying off in a big way.
Most teams would be down and out without their leading scorer and huge All-Star player. Minnesota hasn’t just tread water, but they are competing for the top spot in the Western Conference.
The Los Angeles Lakers lead the conference right now, as Luka Doncic is having a career year. The Lakers are 9-2 overall. Minnesota sits as the No. 4 seed in the West at 8-3 overall. That is just one game back of the top spot. They also have Oklahoma City and San Antonio between them and the Lakers.
Don’t count out the Timberwolves. They are just buying time right now until Edwards can get back on the court. What Dosunmu is doing is putting on the cape to help save this team in the meantime. He is the hero that Minnesota needed.
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