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Ayo Dosunmu was two assists away from a triple-double Monday night. He also played more minutes than anybody else on the floor. If you’ve been checking his points and moving on, there’s a little more to catch up on in Minnesota.
The Wolves have started him in four straight games, and the work has kept coming even when the shots haven’t fallen. Terrence Shannon Jr. has a different role in that same rotation, with an injury now interrupting his early-season run. Let’s look at what the last few games actually tell us, then go back two years to Will Riley’s first night in an Illinois uniform.
Ayo is getting plenty of work
Nineteen points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. That was Ayo’s line in Minnesota’s 112–100 win over Milwaukee on November 2, with a steal and a block thrown in. He played 37:10 and committed two turnovers.
The rebounding and passing are what make that one worth another look. Ayo led the Wolves in both categories. His three-point shot wasn’t doing him many favors, with one make in six attempts, but there were still plenty of ways for him to help Minnesota win.
We checked in on his 27-point night at San Antonio over the weekend. Monday gave us a different kind of big game, and those two performances came with almost identical workloads: 37:49 against the Spurs, then 37:10 against the Bucks.
Go back a little farther and the starting assignments keep showing up. Against Golden State on October 28, Ayo had 17 points, four assists and four steals in 31:54. Two nights later against the Clippers, he finished with 15 points and seven rebounds in 29:35.
Four starts. Four games with at least 15 points. And in the last two, nearly 38 minutes a night.
Minnesota’s injuries are part of this story. Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo were unavailable during this stretch. Those absences matter when we talk about how the minutes might look later. For now, Ayo is getting a substantial assignment and producing in more than one column.
I’m interested in what happens when the Wolves have more of their guards available. There’s no reason to decide that rotation today. We can enjoy what Ayo is doing with these minutes and keep watching where they lead.
Terrence’s next game is still a question
Shannon missed Monday’s win with a left hip contusion. As of Tuesday’s update, he was questionable for Wednesday’s game at Houston.
Before that absence, he had been coming off the bench. His last three appearances brought 27:24 against Golden State, 19:42 against the Clippers and 18:25 at San Antonio. The scoring moved from 19 to 11 to two, but he contributed four assists without a turnover in the Spurs game despite shooting 1-for-8.
That’s a useful distinction when we’re following two Illini on the same team. Ayo has been starting. Terrence has been part of the bench rotation. One rough shooting night doesn’t tell us that a player has fallen out of it, and a questionable listing doesn’t tell us he’ll be back Wednesday.
Kasparas on the other side
Milwaukee’s Kasparas Jakučionis finished Monday with seven points, five rebounds and seven assists in 22:02 off the bench. He shot 2-for-7, missed all three of his threes and had four turnovers.
Seven assists are worth noticing. So are the turnovers. It was a mixed night for Kasparas while Ayo was putting together one of his most complete games of this young season.
This Day in Illini History
November 4, 2024: Will Riley introduced himself with 31 points in Illinois’ 112–67 win over Eastern Illinois. Nobody had scored more in an Illini freshman debut.
Riley went 10-for-13 from the floor and 5-for-6 from three, including seven consecutive makes during the second half. Pretty good way to make sure people remember your first game.
There were introductions all over that box score. Kasparas had 11 points and seven assists. Tomislav Ivišić finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Morez Johnson Jr. blocked six shots, tying the program’s freshman single-game record.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn added 21 points, including Illinois’ final 10 before halftime. Five Illini reached double figures, and the team scored 62 in the second half.
Two years later, it’s a fun one to revisit while we’re following where all those guys went next. The highlights are from that November 4 opener, with Riley giving us plenty to watch again.
Let’s go, Illini!!