Timberwolves Turn to Ayo Dosunmu with Anthony Edwards Sidelined

The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to look a lot less explosive on Wednesday night. Anthony Edwards is officially sidelined with an injury, temporarily pausing one of the most entertaining shows in the NBA.

With the franchise star in street clothes, Ayo Dosunmu is getting the nod to start in his place. Underdog NBA confirmed the lineup shuffle, thrusting the backup guard into the brightest spot in the rotation.

Replacing Edwards is not a standard next-man-up scenario. It is more like being asked to step in as the lead singer of a rock band because the frontman lost his voice. You can know all the words, but nobody expects you to hit the high notes.

Dosunmu is a perfectly capable pro who can defend and keep the ball moving. But taking Ant out of the equation removes the entire gravitational pull of the Minnesota offense. Opposing defenses are going to pack the paint and dare someone else to beat them.

This completely scrambles the math for anyone staring at fantasy rosters or player props. Dosunmu is going to see a massive spike in minutes by default, making him an immediate volume-based option for the night.

The bigger question is who actually absorbs the massive shot volume Edwards usually takes. The rest of the starting five is going to have to manufacture offense without their primary bailout option creating something out of nothing at the end of the shot clock.

We will see how the Timberwolves navigate the missing firepower on Wednesday. If Dosunmu can just keep the ship steady and hit a few open corner threes, Minnesota might survive the night. But they need their superstar back in a hurry to keep pace in a brutal Western Conference.