It's almost a month since the regular season started and Donte DiVincenzo therefore had time to get his bearings alongside his new teammates after being traded from New York to Minnesota along with Julius Randle during the offseason. Interviewed by Duncan Robinson in the podcast “The Young Man and the Three”, the scoring guard spoke about the profiles of his new teammates Anthony Edwards And Rudy Gobertwho have become the “historical” leaders of the team since the departure of Karl-Anthony Towns.
If he adores Anthony Edwards' love of basketball and thirst to win, Donte DiVincenzo also praises the qualities of Rudy Gobert. Having him as a teammate after facing him for six years completely changed the way he looked at the three-time best NBA defender.
“You don’t really know Rudy until you play with him.”, he declared. “He is the foundation of our defense, and a lot of things revolve around him. But to answer, I would say that his approach and Rudy's ethics are second to none. In the way he takes care of his body and prepares for each match. It's really cool to see that. And being with him on the pitch, you realize how big he is. I already threw him a few lobbed passes at the start of the season, saying to myself, 'No chance of him catching that'. But he catches them and he puts them in.”
A relationship to be refined on the ground
With a record of eight wins for six losses, Minnesota is still looking for itself at the start of the year, while the entire team and its recruits continue to get to know each other. For Donte DiVincenzo, his relationship with Rudy Gobert on the field will only improve with time.
“It's the little things, like feeling how to find him, the kind of little things he likes, how to make the game easier for him. If you make his job easier, he will return the favor on defense.” he added.
After winning in Sacramento in overtime (126-130) and facing Phoenix at the buzzer (120-117), the Wolves may have launched their season in earnest. The next shocks to come, in Boston in particular this Sunday, then during a hellish month of December, will make it possible to measure the evolution of the progress of this Chris Finch squad.
| Donte DiVincenzo | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | MIL | 27 | 15 | 40.3 | 26.5 | 75.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 4.9 |
| 2019-20 | MIL | 66 | 23 | 45.5 | 33.6 | 73.3 | 1.0 | 3.8 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 9.2 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 66 | 28 | 42.0 | 37.9 | 71.8 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 10.4 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 42 | 24 | 35.1 | 33.9 | 84.3 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 9.0 |
| 2021-22 * | BAG | 25 | 27 | 36.2 | 36.8 | 83.9 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 10.3 |
| 2021-22 * | MIL | 17 | 20 | 33.1 | 28.4 | 85.2 | 1.1 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 7.2 |
| 2022-23 | GOS | 72 | 26 | 43.5 | 39.7 | 81.7 | 1.1 | 3.4 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 9.4 |
| 2023-24 | NYK | 81 | 29 | 44.3 | 40.1 | 75.4 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 15.5 |
| 2024-25 | MIN | 14 | 26 | 34.9 | 32.3 | 78.6 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 9.4 |
| Total | 368 | 25 | 42.5 | 37.3 | 77.2 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 10.5 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
