The Minnesota Timberwolves gambled by trading their star Karl-Anthony Towns, who spent nine years in the Twin Cities, to the New York Knicks on Friday. In trading Towns, they are removing a transcendent three-point shooter from a roster that already had spacing concerns last season.
However, the Wolves added a just as impressive shooter, Donte DiVincenzo, in the swap.
DiVincenzo, 27, is fresh off a prolific three-point shooting season. Canning 283 three-pointers (3PM), a Knicks franchise high this past season.
He will not fully replace Towns’ rare combination of size and shooting. However, DiVincenzo will bring immediate three-point potency to a guard room that has been searching since they traded away Malik Beasley in the Rudy Gobert acquisition three seasons ago. DiVincenzo has a skill set that Chris Finch has dearly missed in his flow offense schematics.
Role players often have a unique pathway to success, and DiVincenzo is no different. He showed promise as a versatile role-playing guard during his second and third professional seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. However, he tore a ligament in his ankle in the playoffs of his third season, quickly derailing his career.
His torn ankle ligament continued to limit him into the final year of his rookie contract, enough for the Bucks to decide to part ways, trading him to the Sacramento Kings, where he continued to struggle. In Sacramento, he was unable to regain his early promise or any sort of offensive efficiency.
- 2nd season – Milwaukee | 66 GP 24 GS | 9.2 PPG 45.5% FG 33.6% 3P 53.6% eFG
- 3rd season – Milwaukee | 66 GP 66 GS | 10.4 PPG 42.0% FG 37.9% 3P 52.8% eFG
- 4th season – Milwaukee | 17 GP 0 GS | 9.0 PPG 33.1% FG 28.4% 3P 41.9% eFG
- 4th season – Sacramento | 25 GP 1 GS | 10.3 PPG 36.2% FG 36.8% 3P 48.3% eFG
Due to this poor play, the Kings elected not to offer DiVincenzo a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent. The situation quickly began to look bleak for DiVincenzo’s NBA career until the Golden State Warriors signed him to a two-year, $9.23 million deal with a second-year player option.
DiVincenzo instantly bounced back, showcasing his former promise with Golden State while taking a massive leap as a three-point shooter. While DiVincenzo was a 37.8% 3P shooter at Villanova and shined in moments for the Bucks, he had not fully developed into a three-point marksman in the NBA.
However, DiVincenzo thrived in Golden State’s movement-heavy offense. Situated a pass away from Steph Curry and Draymond Green while being involved in many of their offensive actions.
The 2022/23 season was one to forget for Golden State, but DiVincenzo would take full advantage of his increased opportunities. Setting then career-high marks in 3PM (150), three-point attempts (3PA) (378), 3P% (39.7%), and added an impressive 1.25 points-per-possession (PPP) on spot-up possessions. Shooting 39 of 91 (42.9%) on corner threes and 111 of 285 (38.9%) on above-the-break threes.
Elite shooting will always garner front-office attention. Therefore, DiVincenzo wisely declined his player option and elected unrestricted free agency.
Tim Connelly and the Timberwolves were in the final mix for DiVincenzo. However, he signed a four-year $46.9 million contract with the Knicks.
In the first 20 games of the season with New York, DiVincenzo shot 42.7% from three on 5.2 3PA per game. Scoring at a more efficient clip than his prior seasons while only playing 20.2 minutes per game. Primarily as a spark plug off the bench. Then, taking off even more when starting guard Quentin Grimes‘ subpar play forced Tom Thibodeau to make a starting lineup change. In response to Grimes’ slump, Thibdodeau substituted DiVincenzo into his starting spot for the duration of the season.
The Knicks would continue to make big changes to the roster and rotation, completing a complete overhaul in the final three-quarters of the season. Making a big splash, they traded RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, two players competing with DiVincenzo for minutes, to the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby.
In addition to the roster changes, the Knicks suffered myriad injuries. Julius Randle missed the final 36 games of the regular season, and Mitchell Robinson missed 51, thinning out the Knicks’ depth chart in the second half of the season. Thibodeau already runs a tight bench, and his core players tend to play big minutes. However, DiVincenzo had begun to earn his trust by playing well in extended minutes.
DiVincenzo continued his linear growth in the second half of the season, posting his best stint over the last 35 games. In 38.2 MPG, he averaged 21 points per game (PPG) on 43.4% from the field and 38.7% from three on 11.9 attempts per game. His 3PA mark over that stretch sat 2nd in the NBA, only behind Steph Curry’s 12.1. Not only was DiVincenzo taking on a vital role, but the Knicks were also playing some of their best ball of the season. Despite being down multiple key players, they held a 22-13 record over those 35 GP.
In those games, DiVincenzo established that when he can effectively shoot from beyond the arc, he can take his game to another level. In the past two seasons, DiVincenzo has showcased he can be one of the league’s best volume spot-up shooters. He works off creative offenses with other on-ball threats to maximize his natural ability. As DiVincenzo feeds off the gravity of others while knocking down enough shots to keep the defense off of his teammates.
Building from one great season into a phenomenal one, rooted in his ability to score from beyond the arc.
DiVincenzo’s ability to affect the game across the arc and in many roles is invaluable, especially considering he offers more tertiary skills than your typical shooter. His contract looks like a bargain. DiVincenzo has three years and $35.97 million left on his contract, which has quickly become one of the best in the NBA, especially when 3P specialists such as Sam Hauser are earning a similar value.
DiVincenzo will create instant gravity for Finch. However, Finch should dive back into his sets with Malik Beasley or look at DiVincenzo’s time with Golden State to use him more creatively and maximize his role within the offense.
Finch praises movement within the offense and overall flow, but he’s been missing versatile shooters to fully unlock his offense. DiVincenzo’s shooting balance, footwork, and ability to be unphased by defenders pave the way for Finch to implement more handoffs, pindowns, and movement sets into the offense.
DiVencenzo and the Wolves will try to find the perfect balance of the last two seasons to maximize his ability. He has plenty of room to fit into a focal point of Minnesota’s three-point scoring offense. DiVincenzo will be successful, even if he only serves as a spot-up player who’s a pass away from Anthony Edwards or the newly-acquired Julius Randle’s creation. However, if the Wolves implement him effectively and balance his traits around his new teammates, he can match the impact he made in New York.
