As a second-round selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, Ayo Dosunmu had to make necessary improvements to his offensive game to become a rotational player in the NBA.
The Chicago-born guard had a fantastic three-season run at the University of Illinois. He averaged 16.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game with a true shooting percentage of 54.8%. Dosunmu won the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top point guard, as a junior. He also finished as a consensus first-team All-American.
Dosunmu is a legend in Champagne, Ill. Still, even with his college production, he was going to need to tinker with his offensive usage if he wanted to stick in the NBA. Dosunmu operated alongside other guards during his time at Illinois, but it wasn’t a given that he’d get on-ball reps in the NBA. He needed to find ways to impact the game whenever he got touches.
The biggest question mark with Dosunmu’s offense out of college was his three-point jumper. Dosunmu refined his mechanics and made the necessary improvements to become a reputable shooter during his 4.5 seasons in his hometown of Chicago. His jumper ultimately opened up his offensive versatility.
However, Dosunmu has always built his game on his ability to get downhill in the open court, use his speed and quickness, and blow by defenders to get to the rim.
Dosunmu’s skillset has come full circle in the NBA. He has been impactful because he developed his three-point jumper. However, much of his offensive reliance and what has made him a respectable NBA player in his young career has come from his ability to be lethal in transition.
In Dosunmu’s junior season, he scored 1.26 points per possession (PPP) in transition, which ranked in the 84th percentile. Just three games into Dosunmu’s Timberwolves career, that ability is already shining.
The Chicago Bulls had a major identity shift over the past couple of seasons. After moving away from veterans Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, Chicago’s front office and Billy Donovan elected to focus on a more uptempo, transition-based attack.
Chicago’s schematic change aligned perfectly with Dosunmu. It allowed him to be a grab-and-go threat and also fly in the open court off hit-ahead passes. While Dosunmu has always had a high transition frequency, it only grew alongside the Bulls’ teamwide prioritization of that kind of play.
There have been fluctuations in Dosunmu’s individual points-per-possession data, but overall, he has been above average in transition efficiency throughout his NBA career.
To Dosunmu’s credit, in his two best seasons by PPP percentile ranking, the Bulls have had two completely different transition principles.
In the 2023-24 season, Ayo had an individual transition play-type frequency of 25.1%, while the Bulls as a team was at 14.3%, which ranked last in the NBA. Ayo posted a PPP of 1.24 that season, placing him in the 78th percentile for his position grouping.
The 2025-26 season has been the opposite with the Bulls. They rank second in the NBA in transition frequency, and Dosunmu has matched their play with a 33.7% transition play-type frequency and a PPP of 1.21. He ranked in the 73rd percentile for his position.
No matter the context, Dosunmu has got it done. He has shown that his transition scoring ability is not reliant on the others around him.
In Minnesota’s home win over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, that ability was on full display.
Ayo Dosunmu – Transition Scoring vs Atlanta pic.twitter.com/o31B0k63fm
— Jonah (@Huncho_Jman) February 10, 2026
Other Timberwolves players, like Bones Hyland and Terrence Shannon Jr., have been pushing the pace effectively recently. Still, they are not a transition weapon like Dosunmu.
Hyland has done a good job at getting the ball up the court quickly, but he will only finish around the rim if it is moderately open. Most of Hyland’s transition value comes from using his speed to create opportunities for others.
Shannon has had fantastic highs. Still, his lack of weak-hand handle, right-hand finishing talent, and injuries have limited him from finding his groove.
What Dosunmu brings to the Timberwolves is proven transition scoring production.
Dosunmu thrives in uptempo possessions and also offers the versatility to find others, while also prioritizing his own scoring at the rim. The balance he brings to the Timberwolves allows the team to fill a vital need with his scoring, and his play has been infectious. When others can join Dosunmu in the open court, Minnesota is more likely to capitalize on it.
Other Timberwolves players, such as Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards, have always had the potential to be better transition threats. Still, they haven’t always had the intrinsic motivation to do so.
Now that Dosunmu is set to garner a heavy minutes load within the guard room, he can have a domino effect on others. It doesn’t even have to always be transition play. Even if Dosunmu can use his pace to get the Timberwolves into their half-court offense more quickly, his on-ball tendencies will benefit the team overall.
It’s early, but Dosunmu has the chance to meaningfully change the pace for the Timberwolves as they seek better seeding through the rest of the regular season and look to make an impact in the playoffs.