Why Kerr says Donte DiVincenzo has had ‘wildly successful year’ with Warriors
This season has been the best DiVincenzo has felt since his ankle gave out on a routine baseline drive in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs.
SAN FRANCISCO — Donte DiVincenzo signed with the Warriors last summer with the intent of relaunching his career after a devastating ankle injury and in-season trade last year set him back.
In coach Steve Kerr’s eyes, DiVincenzo has been “wildly successful” in that endeavor.
This season has been the best DiVincenzo has felt since his ankle gave out on a routine baseline drive in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs. He’s looked the part, too, averaging numbers that compare to his breakout third season with the Bucks.
In 67 games (32 starts), DiVincenzo is averaging 9.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting 42.5% from the field and 39.6% from deep, both above his career averages. He’s also a menace on defense. He leads the Warriors in steals (86) and is second on the team to Draymond Green in deflections (166.)
“I feel really good,” DiVincenzo said. “Biggest thing for me is to keep on my body. This year, I think I’ve done a better job of staying diligent and getting treatment, doing my strength stuff, doing prep stuff, like everything I did before but then go another step forward and do a little bit more. The way I play, I think I need that.”
The Warriors have plugged DiVincenzo into various roles to fill needs throughout the season. He started the year coming off the bench and building chemistry with his two-man game with Jordan Poole. Lately, Kerr has tapped DiVincenzo to start in place of Andrew Wiggins, who’s been away from the team since Feb. 14 for a family matter.
“Donte has been fantastic,” Kerr said. “Donte is one of those guys who helps you in so many different ways that you can [put] him into any lineup and to me that’s his true value. Does a lot of things well. And you can focus on any one of them whether it’s his shooting, his passing or his defense, but just the idea that he’s a total complete basketball player means you can him with any group and that’s really valuable.”
DiVincenzo’s first season with the Warriors hasn’t gone without a hitch. He suffered a hamstring strain that sidelined him for eight games earlier on. He knew the injury wasn’t too serious, but it was another small setback for a guy who prides himself on his availability.
DiVincenzo tries to keep a glass-half-full perspective. So rather than sulking, he used that recovery time to take a step back and evaluate his situation.
The Warriors were DiVincenzo’s third team in six months, “which is really weird to even think about,” he said.
Before last season, all DiVincenzo knew in the NBA was Milwaukee. But he wasn’t the 3-point shooter and tenacious defender he was before his ankle injury, which prompted the Bucks to trade him to the Kings. DiVincenzo started to turn things around in Sacramento, but felt like ran out of time.
After it became clear the Kings were looking to move on, DiVincenzo joined the Warriors in hopes he could re-establish his place in the league. He liked the situation he was walking into, though it presented a challenge for him. Golden State had an established core coming off a championship season and looked poised to defend its title despite losing key rotation pieces in the offseason.
Meanwhile, DiVincenzo was the new kid on the block, trying to “blend in.”
Playing a role isn’t an issue for DiVincenzo. In fact, his willingness to be a complementary piece to a larger puzzle as well as his experience in a read-and-react offense was what made him such an ideal fit for the Warriors.
DiVincenzo has played alongside Jrue Holiday, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez with the Bucks and found ways to impact the game. With Villanova, he shared the floor with Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges.
“I can go down the line of guys who had the ball in their hands more and you got to figure out how to be effective in the role,” DiVincenzo said. “My confidence stays high that I’m gonna be effective and do whatever it takes to win.”
DiVincenzo said he was empowered by Kerr, Green and Stephen Curry to be aggressive and play his style.
“When I started to really play well is when I started to be aggressive and I started to not really care about what the outside world thought,” he said. “That’s when it really started to fit into the system really well rather than playing to not make a mistake out there.”
DiVincenzo might’ve accomplished what he set out to do individually when he signed with the Warriors last summer. But his focus remains on the bigger picture as Golden State heads into the final five-game push for playoff seeding.
The Warriors are sixth in a close Western Conference race, nesting a game out of the dangerous play-in tournament.
If Golden State can avoid the play-in and stay healthy, DiVincenzo believes the Warriors are still the team to beat.
“We just got to get into the playoffs,” he said. “It’s gonna be very hard for a team to beat us four times.”
Kerr didn’t allow his mind to wander too far into the offseason. DiVincenzo has a player option worth around $4.7 million he could exercise for next season, but he might opt to test the free agency waters this offseason after boosting his market value.
“Obviously, we hope we can keep him. We desperately want to keep him,” Kerr said. “But I always want our players to be in the best position possible going forward, so I’m very happy for Donte that he’s put himself in a good spot.”