The first-round matchup between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers is being billed as a David vs. Goliath bout for modern times.
Everyone with a platform is picking the Lakers to win the series. Still, we’re all writing around the clock about how the Lakers “aren’t actually that good.” Minnesota sports fans know exactly what usually happens when our fragile, small-market, Midwestern teams take on big-city superteams in the playoffs.
Anthony Edwards doesn’t seem to mind the battle that lies before him. But even the toughest gladiator needs some backup.
We already litigated Julius Randle’s issues in the playoffs. Rudy Gobert is still trying to get over the image of Luka Doncic hitting a game winner over him in game two of last year’s Western Conference Finals. Jaden McDaniels, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were all up and down in the playoffs last season. Rob Dillingham, Jaylen Clark, and Terrence Shannon Jr. are unlikely to see much action as rotations tighten. Mike Conley is trying to beat the claims that he’s washed but can’t carry a team anymore.
So that leaves one man who will need to have a huge series for the Timberwolves to advance out of the first round for the third time in franchise history.
Donte DiVincenzo should start against the Lakers and play a huge role in Minnesota’s playoff run.
DiVincenzo spent most of his first season in Minnesota operating as Chris Finch’s seventh man off the bench with much aplomb, averaging 11.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 39.7 percent from three in the second-best season of his career. DiVincenzo stepped up in the postseason last year to lead the Knicks to within a whisper of the Eastern Conference Finals.
With Julius Randle sidelined with a shoulder injury and other Knicks dropping like flies, DiVincenzo became the second option New York desperately needed. Big Ragu averaged 17.8 points, four rebounds, 2.6 assists, and hit 42.5 percent of his threes across New York’s 13 playoff games against the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers. DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson’s 32.4 points per game weren’t enough to get past Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers, and he’s facing even more firepower this year.
You may not have heard, but the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic to pair with LeBron James. The two Galacticos have been wreaking havoc on the Western Conference and ESPN’s production meetings since they joined forces in February. LeBron is the greatest player of his generation, and Luka Doncic is a five-time first-team All-NBA selection and embarrassed the Timberwolves in last year’s conference finals.
The Lakers have surrounded them by a bunch of big, skilled wings led by Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Dorian Finney-Smith, allowing JJ Redick to deploy big lineups across the board. This is where DiVincenzo becomes a huge asset for Chris Finch beyond his ability to hit 30-foot bombs.
For all the talk about Rudy Gobert getting played off the court when teams play without a traditional center, Minnesota’s real matchup issue will be Mike Conley. Rudy may struggle with Hachimura, but there is nowhere for Conley to hide. Rudy will guard LA’s designated center, whether that’s Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes, Jarred Vanderbilt, or whoever assumes the role. Julius Randle will likely get the LeBron assignment. McDaniels and Ant will try to do to Luka what the two psychopaths have inflicted on Devin Booker. That means Conley will likely spend time on Austin Reaves.
Conley is listed at 6’0” tall and has lost a step at the age of 37. Reaves is 6’5” and DFS is 6’7”. Reaves is too big and quick for Conley to contain over the course of a seven-game series. DiVincenzo is 6’4” and a pitbull on defense and a bigger threat to cook Reaves on the other end at this point in his career. Conley is the ultimate table setter and often calms things down for the Wolves when they’re on the edge of blowing a huge lead. DiVincenzo isn’t a classically trained point guard but should be able to handle the offense now that he has a full season under his belt playing alongside Edwards and Gobert.
DiVincenzo has been the slightly better option all season, playing alongside the normal starting lineup of Edwards, McDaniels, Randle, and Gobert. With DiVincenzo in the mix, that lineup has a plus-4.6 net rating opposed to plus 3.2 with Conley as the lead guard.
It’s been a mix of results for the former Villanova Wildcat playing against the Lakers this season. DiVincenzo struggled in the season opener, scoring 10 points on 3-11 shooting in Crypto.com Arena. He came back with 11 points, nine assists, five rebounds, and two steals in a 109-80 win, followed by a quiet three-point outing as the Wolves beat the Lakers 97-87 in December.
The one time these two teams have played after the Luka trade was DiVincenzo’s first game back from a toe injury that cost him 19 games in the middle of the season. The Wolves lost 111-102 to even the series at 2 games apiece. DiVincenzo scored nine points off the bench with five rebounds and six assists, and he was a plus-15 during his stint.
The Timberwolves are 17-5 since their last meeting with the Lakers, and Donte DiVincenzo is averaging 13 points while shooting 44.4 percent from three during that stretch. The series with the Lakers will be a test of wills between two of the most talented teams in the West.
Chris Finch must bring his A game and adjust on the fly (not his forte). One adjustment he can make from the first tip is to insert Donte DiVincenzo into the starting lineup and let the man who survived Tom Thibodeau run the Lakers into the ground. Mike Conley has done great things for the Wolves since he came to Minnesota. But DiVincenzo is the present and the future and can help Minnesota run through the playoffs until the wheels fall off.
