NBA Draft 2018 Prospect Watch: Donte DiVincenzo

What the experts say

(as of 5/31/18)

ESPN (Jonathan Givony): 28th

The Ringer (Kevin O’Connor, Jonathan Tjarks, Danny Chau): 29th

Sports Illustrated (Jeremy Woo): 20th

Sporting News (Chris Stone): N/A

The Athletic (Sam Vecenie): 31st

The Stepien (Composite Rank): 54th

The Step Back (Brandon Kleen): N/A

Quotes:

With his decision to stay in this year’s draft coming before Wednesday night’s early entry deadline, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie wrote about the fork in the road-like decision DiVincenzo was wrestling with and why he believes he rightly chose the correct route:

"“This was always the most likely move after DiVincenzo’s Most Outstanding Player performance in the Final Four. Though it’s happening a bit faster than anticipated, don’t get it twisted: DiVincenzo has been on NBA radars since the 2016-17 season and likely would have gone through this process even without the remarkable performance in the title game against Michigan. DiVincenzo has impressed folks across the NBA throughout the predraft process with his toughness, athleticism, motor and complete lack of fear. He was one of the major standouts of the combine’s 5-on-5 session, and that impressive play has extended into his time at NBA team facilities in workouts for them. He will certainly be at least a top-40 pick and likely will hear his name called in the 20-30 range. Villanova is great and would have put him in a terrific position to succeed next year. In my opinion, if he had returned, he would have been the favorite for national player of the year. Really, it was a choice of a terrific option and an even better option. I think DiVincenzo chose correctly, as he’ll get to the NBA earlier and get closer to free agency quicker.”"

Also stating that DiVincenzo’s range is seemingly set late in the first round, Jeremy Woo over at Sports Illustrated assessed the Delaware native’s game in his latest Big Board:

"“After breaking out at the Final Four, DiVincenzo turned in two strong days at the draft combine and likely turned himself into a first-round pick in the process. A high-flying leaper and tough combo guard who makes winning plays, he has the size and athletic ability to defend both backcourt spots. He excels playing the passing lanes and making plays in transition. Though a streaky scorer, DiVincenzo shoots it well enough to provide spacing and can provide a legitimate boost when his jumper is falling. To play on the ball more often and better facilitate offense, his handle must improve. Overall, he fits many of key criteria required of a solid role player, and appears set to fall into the 20–30 range.”"