NBA

Timberwolves 124, Mavericks 94: Ayo you everything, Dosumnu how good you are already….

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – FEBRUARY 20: Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves handles the ball against Marvin Bagley III #35 of the Dallas Mavericks in the third quarter at Target Center on February 20, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves beat the Mavericks 122-111. NOTICE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this image, User agrees to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images

_{I want to give a quick shout out to Jack Borman, who has tackled a lot of topics like this and was a good sport in all of them. Everyone is tagging along with screenshots of this. @jrborman13 on Twitter}

It feels like blowout wins have been few and far between this year. I can’t really speak to the truth of that statement, the way I can speak to “Vibes ™” but it sounds like it’s been a very tough year to be a Minnesota Timberwolves fan or reporter or whatever else you might be.

The strength of this team was in the second division in different points this year. Firing Chris Finch sounded like the start of an angry Twitter mob, the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade was apparently almost done (or it was a scandal of an inside trade, que sera…), and the Wolves started their deadline by trading a first-rounder to get out of the luxury tax.

But tonight is the kind of night where we remember that moments don’t define a season as much as an inevitable time does.

Chris Finch has found his way back to who he was – even if it still involves a lot of Mike Conley. Giannis and the NBPA are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks, not the Minnesota Timberwolves. Most importantly, however, the Wolves’ deadline was not just a salary dump.

It’s hard to overstate how much Ayo Dosumnu changed the structure of the Timberwolves’ rotation and the look of the program.

On a night without Jaden McDaniels, Dosumnu contributed a triple. During the tenure of Anthony Edwards, it was Ayo who always grabbed the bulk of the goals.

Julius Randle is Julius Randle. Anthony Edwards is Anthony Edwards. Rudy Gobert is Rudy Gobert. Ayo is neither of them, but he does provide something the Wolves system suddenly completely lacked: ease of use.

Part of the reason this season’s premiere was so painful was that all the “X-Factors” quotes failed to, well, whatever. TJ Shannon has been scary out of OK lately with that highlight reel steal. Jaylen Clark has the offensive consistency of the Katamari ball that tries to pick up the big things on it. Rob Dillingham isn’t even on the team anymore!!

God, it’s getting worse. Bones Hyland is the only good surprise from this year’s starting line-up, and it took months for Finch to even test him.

Hope is a beautiful thing in basketball, and the Wolves had so little hope that it never felt like the same thing again.

That’s what Ayo is. He is Superman S. He calls Miss Daisy. He smiles in the sunlight.

That’s incredible? Maybe, but why not be adventurous? For someone brought in to replace the vibes and skillet left behind when Nickeil Alexander-Walker left for Atlanta, Ayo has been as likable as his player.

What a player you are. A shooting guard who can play the point, a rebounder who flies down the court, and a solid defender despite his size. What a player, man, what a player.

He wasn’t the only player on the field for the evening though. Rudy Gobert had a great game. In a world without Wemby (and for some of you, even in this world), he will be a front runner for Defensive Player of the Year again. Instead, he will have to settle for being the best center in Wolves history behind… Nikola Peković?