Villanova Dynamic Duo
The dynamic duo of Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart were once college teammates for the Villanova Wildcats. Now, they are together again on the New York Knicks. They were teammates for two seasons winning a national championship. As teammates in the NBA, they got to the second round of the playoffs, which is the best the team has finished since the 2012-13 season. Safe to say, these two are not only teammates, but also good friends that know how to win.
Third Wildcat Incoming?
Donte DiVincenzo just opted out of his $4.7 player option with the Golden State Warriors and will become an unrestricted free agent. DiVincenzo was teammates at Villanova with Hart for two years and teammates with Brunson all three seasons. Him and Brunson were able to win two National Championships together.
There has been a numerous amount of rumors floating around that DiVincenzo will sign with the Knicks. According to Jake Fisher, a senior writer for the NBA at Yahoo Sports said, “There’s been growing noise among league personnel about DiVincenzo joining former Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart in New York.”
They have already played at Madison Square Garden in college. Now each of them can play together on the same team in the NBA. They played together at the 2017 Big East Championships.
DiVincenzo Knicks Fit
This past season, he averaged 9.4 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He also shot 43.5% from the field and 39.7% from three.
At 6’4, he could be utilized as a backup shooting guard running the bench unit with his former teammate in Hart. Immanuel Quickley could serve as the backup point guard, forming a solid rotation alongside the other two players. Also, Obi Toppin and Isaiah Hartenstein would give the Knicks a lot of depth in the frontcourt. The only question remaining is whether the Knicks will transition to a ten-man rotation.
Is He #1 Priority?
Even though DiVincenzo is a good player, the better fit for the Knicks is Seth Curry. Curry, just like his older brother, is one of the best shooters in the league. This past season with the Brooklyn Nets, he averaged 9.2 points per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 40.5% from three. Shooting is one of the biggest weaknesses on the Knicks and Curry can help tremendously. On the other hand, DiVincenzo’s game is very similar to Harts, which could hurt the floor spacing.
*******************************************************
Brian Ramos is a contributor on Back Sports Page. Along with receiving his B.A. in Sports Communications, he has over a year of experience in the sports industry, and has interviewed a variety of people in the sports industry such as Bobby Portis, Don La Greca, Adam Schefter, and others. In addition, to writing, Ramos has called women’s lacrosse and baseball on ESPN+. Ramos has a podcast on YouTube called Cut The Nets along with his co-host Jeremy Gretzer. You can find Brian on Instagram at @Brian.ramos0219 and Twitter at @brianramos0219.
