On July 1st, Donte DiVincenzo signed a four-year $50 million contract with the New York Knicks, which reunites him with former Villanova University teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. DiVincenzo won two National Championships with the Wildcats in 2016 and 2018. He was awarded the 2018 Final Four Most Outstanding Player while coming off the bench. His performance throughout Villanova’s 2018 NCAA Tournament run led to the rise of his draft stock, where he was selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Before the start of free agency, Brian Ramos, a fellow Back Sports Page writer, predicted the transaction on episode 28 of the Cut The Nets Podcast. Here’s a breakdown of what Knicks fans should expect from the former Villanova Wildcat:
Strengths
Winning Pedigree
Despite playing a reserve role, DiVincenzo played a crucial part in Villanova’s National Championship run in 2018. The Delaware native scored 31 points in the winner-take-all matchup against the Michigan Wolverines, in which they won 79-62.
Three years later, DiVincenzo won an NBA Championship with the Bucks. However, he played in just three games because of a left ankle injury. Nonetheless, he’s won on every level dating back to high school, where he won two state championships at Salesianum High School in Wilmington, Delaware.
Defense
DiVincenzo isn’t known as a lockdown defender, but he’s been well-coached under the tutelage of former Villanova head coach Jay Wright, and his stats and film support it. At 6 feet-4, 200 pounds with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, he’s designed to guard point guards and shooting guards but can guard wings in a pinch. The sixth-year guard is fundamentally sound, particularly as an off-the-ball defender. He shows great awareness of where to be on rotations and often comes up with steals in the passing lanes which is evident in his career average of 1.2 steals per game. He also does a good job of walling up the offensive player when beaten off the dribble and forcing them into a difficult shot.
In terms of his stats, the analytics work in DiVincenzo’s favor. Last season, he ranked 20th in steals per game (1.3 steals per game), 15th in total steals (97 total steals), and 9th in steal percentage (2.4). During the 2019-2020 season, he ranked 3rd in defensive rating (101.3), 6th in defensive box plus-minus (2.4), 10th in steal percentage (2.6), and 15th in defensive win shares (3.2).
Chemistry with Brunson
Although DiVincenzo played two seasons with Hart during their stint at Villanova, he has a deeper connection with Brunson, given that they both entered as freshmen in 2015 and became roommates.
On the Point Forward Podcast hosted by Andre Iguodala and Evan Turner, DiVincenzo gave an account of his friendship with Brunson. However, his reputation alongside the former McDonald’s All-American (Brunson) had its humble beginnings.
“I lived with him — he was my roommate. So no matter where we went, it was Jalen and ‘that guy’ (DiVincenzo),” DiVincenzo recalled.
DiVincenzo admitted that his presence under the shadow of Brunson caused him to contemplate transferring from Villanova.
“That was the first time in my life I’m like ‘damn I’m really like– I’m ‘that guy’ where I was like f–k, f–k this. I want to go somewhere else,” DiVincenzo said.
Despite that experience, DiVincenzo noticed Brunson’s humility and ability to be a team player off the court.
“It helped our relationship so much because he never carried himself that way….He always did the whole like put me out there, say my name, shout me out…. build me up and it wasn’t in a way to defer from him because he knew what situation he was walking into,” DiVincenzo said.
DiVincenzo acknowledged that his experience hanging out with his roommate helped them grow into becoming best friends.
“We lived with each other throughout college, and we’re best friends now. So that helped our relationship for sure,” DiVincenzo admitted.
His chemistry with Brunson and Hart should make his transition to the Knicks a lot smoother, given their past accomplishments as teammates.
Weaknesses
Injury History
Last season, DiVincenzo played a career-high 72 games for the Golden State Warriors. Prior to the 2022-23 season, his career-high in games played was 66, which occurred during the 2020-21 season when he played for the NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks. However, he appeared in all but three games during their championship run because of a left ankle injury. He was also limited to 27 games as a rookie (2018-19) because of a foot injury. On average, DiVincenzo has played in 54 games per season since entering the league in 2018.
Inconsistent shooter
DiVincenzo shot a career-high 39% from three-point range during the 2022-23 season. However, he’s only had one other season in which he shot 35% or better from the perimeter. That feat took place during the 2020-21 season, where he shot 37% from three-point range. Through five seasons in the association, DiVincenzo is a career 36% three-point shooter, which is just above league average. Whether or not he can maintain that level of consistency as an outside shooter could be a determining factor in how huge of a role he’ll play under the leadership of Tom Thibodeau.
Defensive limitations
Although a sound defender, DiVincenzo is limited to defending guards and smaller wings, given that he’s 6-feet-4″ with a 6-foot- 6″ wingspan. He’s capable of guarding bigger and more athletic wings in a pinch but often gets beat when switched on to them.
Overall
DiVincenzo’s addition will contribute the most to floor spacing. Although a streaky shooter, DiVincenzo shot at a career-high 39% clip from behind the arc last season, which would rank second on the Knicks roster behind Brunson, who shot 41%. In terms of the Knicks’ standing across the entire league, they ranked 19th in the association in three-point percentage. The acquisition of DiVincenzo adds to the Knicks’ deck of wildcards as far as players who can heat up at any given moment. Don’t be surprised if Tom Thibodeau decides to start the former 17th overall pick over Josh Hart and/or Quentin Grimes.
The acquisition of Donte DiVincenzo wasn’t a glamorous move by any means (much like Josh Hart), but the Knicks decided to take the “less is more” approach this offseason. However, signing the 26-year-old guard addresses the need for a perimeter shooter who also functions as a glue guy who can fit into Thibodeau’s defensive-minded principles.
