The Boston Celtics have a problem. It’s not a talent problem. It’s not a coaching problem. It’s a style-of-play problem.
Specifically, they don’t attack the rim enough.
Think about it. Jayson Tatum is a jump-shooter first. Jaylen Brown is a slasher, but he’s also comfortable pulling up from mid-range. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard are perimeter-oriented guards. The Celtics’ offense is beautiful when the threes are falling — and stagnant when they’re not.
Brad Stevens knows this. He said so himself after the season-ending loss to the Sixers. The Celtics need to “have more of an impact at the rim.”
Enter Ayo Dosunmu.
The 26-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves guard is set to hit free agency this summer. And according to Boston Herald writer Zack Cox, he should be near the top of Boston’s shopping list.
Let me break down why Dosunmu fits, what he brings to the table, and why the Celtics need to prioritize adding a guard who isn’t afraid to get dirty in the paint.
The Cox Analysis: ‘The Celtics Could Use a Guard Like Him’
Let me start with the expert perspective.
Zack Cox of the Boston Herald has covered the Celtics for years. He knows the team’s strengths and weaknesses. And he recently identified Dosunmu as a perfect free-agent target.
Here’s what Cox wrote:
*“If he hits the market, the Celtics could use a guard with Dosunmu’s athleticism and ability to get to the basket. More than a third of his field-goal attempts this season (36.7%) were from inside three feet, right in line with his career average.”*
Let me translate that: Dosunmu is a downhill attacker. He doesn’t settle for jumpers. He puts pressure on the rim, draws fouls, and forces defenses to collapse.
That’s exactly what the Celtics are missing.
Cox added a telling statistic:
“Boston’s top five scorers all took less than 20% of their shots from that area, and White and Pritchard both were below 10%.”
Less than 20%. For the Celtics’ top five scorers. That’s not a stylistic preference. That’s a deficiency.
When the three-point shot isn’t falling — as it often doesn’t in the playoffs — the Celtics have no counterpunch. They don’t have a guard who can get to the rim at will.
Dosunmu solves that.
Who Is Ayo Dosunmu? A Scouting Report
Let me give you the full picture.
Ayo Dosunmu is a 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard who played his college ball at Illinois. He was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft. He’s been a solid rotation player ever since.
This season, he played 69 games split between Chicago and Minnesota. His averages:
14.8 points per game
3.4 rebounds
3.6 assists
36.7% of his shots from inside three feet
He’s not a star. He’s not going to make All-NBA. But he’s a high-level role player who does one thing exceptionally well: attack the rim.
In the playoffs, Dosunmu had a coming-out party. In Game 4 of the first round against the Denver Nuggets, he dropped 43 points. That’s not a typo. Ayo Dosunmu — career average 10 points per game — scored 43 in a playoff game.
That performance turned heads around the league. It proved that Dosunmu can be more than just a rotation player. In the right system, with the right opportunity, he can be a difference-maker.
The Rim-Pressure Problem: Boston’s Statistical Breakdown
Let me give you the numbers that explain Boston’s problem.
Percentage of shots from inside three feet among Boston’s top scorers:
Jayson Tatum: Less than 20%
Jaylen Brown: Less than 20%
Kristaps Porzingis: Less than 20% (he’s a shooter)
Derrick White: Below 10%
Payton Pritchard: Below 10%
Those numbers are staggering. Your best players are avoiding the paint. That’s not a winning formula in the playoffs, where defenses tighten and three-point percentages drop.
Dosunmu, by contrast, takes more than a third of his shots from inside three feet. He lives in the paint. He draws contact. He gets to the free-throw line.
The Celtics don’t have anyone like that. Not a single guard who consistently attacks the rim.
The Contract: Why Dosunmu Is Affordable
Let me get into the money.
Dosunmu is coming off the final year of a three-year deal he originally signed with Chicago. He’s 26 years old. He’s entering his prime. And he’s not a max player — not even close.
Most analysts expect Dosunmu to be available for the non-taxpayer mid-level exception — roughly $15 million per year.
The Celtics have that exception. They also have a traded player exception. They have flexibility.
If Dosunmu hits the open market, Boston can offer him a competitive contract without gutting their roster. That’s the beauty of targeting mid-tier free agents instead of stars.
The Fit Next to Tatum and Brown
Let me talk about how Dosunmu would fit into Boston’s offense.
The Celtics’ offense is built around Tatum and Brown isolations. They’re both excellent at creating their own shots. But when they drive, they often kick out to shooters rather than finishing through contact.
Dosunmu is different. He’s a finisher. He attacks the rim with the intention of scoring, not just drawing a double-team.
Imagine this: Tatum draws a double-team on the wing. He kicks it to Dosunmu on the weak side. Dosunmu attacks the closeout, gets to the rim, and finishes or draws a foul.
That’s a dimension the Celtics don’t currently have.
Defensively, Dosunmu is a plus. At 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, he can guard both guard positions and some wings. He’s not an elite defender, but he’s solid. He’d fit perfectly next to White and Pritchard.
The Playoff Game That Changed Everything
Let me circle back to that 43-point game.
On the road, against the Denver Nuggets, in the playoffs, Dosunmu went off. He was aggressive. He attacked the rim relentlessly. He hit pull-up jumpers when they sagged off. He played with a confidence that few role players possess.
That game wasn’t an outlier — it was a glimpse of what Dosunmu can be with a bigger role.
The Celtics need that version of Dosunmu. The aggressive, confident, rim-attacking version.
The Timberwolves’ Dilemma: Can They Keep Him?
Let me address the other side.
The Timberwolves want to keep Dosunmu. He was a key part of their rotation after the trade deadline. He played well in the playoffs. He fits next to Anthony Edwards.
But Minnesota has cap constraints. They have to pay Edwards (supermax), Karl-Anthony Towns (max), and Rudy Gobert (max). They might not have the money to give Dosunmu a competitive offer.
If the Timberwolves lowball him — or if Dosunmu wants a starting role they can’t guarantee — he’ll hit the open market.
That’s when the Celtics should strike.
The Brad Stevens Mandate: More Rim Pressure
Let me remind you what Brad Stevens said after the season.
The Celtics’ president of basketball operations was blunt. The team needs to “have more of an impact at the rim.” He wasn’t talking about Xs and Os. He was talking about personnel.
The Celtics don’t have a guard who consistently attacks the rim. They need to find one.
Dosunmu is that player.
Stevens has a track record of identifying undervalued players. Derrick White was undervalued. Jrue Holiday was undervalued (though he cost a lot). Malcolm Brogdon was undervalued.
Ayo Dosunmu is undervalued. And Stevens knows it.
The Competition: Who Else Wants Dosunmu?
Let me mention that the Celtics aren’t alone.
Several teams will be interested in Dosunmu if he hits free agency. The Orlando Magic need guard depth. The San Antonio Spurs need veterans around Victor Wembanyama. The Detroit Pistons have cap space and need shooting and defense.
But the Celtics offer something that few other teams can: a clear path to a championship.
Dosunmu wants to win. He’s never been to the Finals. He’s never even been close. Boston gives him a chance to compete for a title while playing a significant role.
That matters.
Final Verdict: Sign Ayo Dosunmu
Here’s my honest take.
The Boston Celtics should aggressively pursue Ayo Dosunmu in free agency. Not as a star. Not as a savior. As a role player who fills a specific, glaring need.
The Celtics don’t attack the rim enough. Their guards settle for jumpers. Their offense becomes one-dimensional in the playoffs.
Dosunmu fixes that. He’s a downhill attacker. He’s comfortable in the paint. He draws fouls. He finishes through contact.
He’s also affordable, young, and entering his prime. He fits Boston’s timeline perfectly.
Brad Stevens said the Celtics need to have more of an impact at the rim. Ayo Dosunmu is the player who can provide that impact.
The window is closing for the Tatum-Brown era. One championship in nearly a decade is not enough. The Celtics need to add pieces now.
Ayo Dosunmu is a piece.
One thing’s certain: If the Celtics sign Dosunmu, their offense will look different. And different might be exactly what they need.