Behind the Bucks Pass
Fansided

What makes Donte DiVincenzo the best option for the Milwaukee Bucks?

By Theodore Konstantellos

NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 21: (Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, USA - JUNE 21: (Photo by Mohammed Elshamy/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Did the Milwaukee Bucks make the right decisions on draft day? How good is DiVincenzo and how does he fit? Was he the best possible option? Let’s explore.

Following the selection of Donte DiVincenzo with the 17th overall pick on Thursday night, there’s naturally plenty of discussion and debate as to whether the Milwaukee Bucks made the right call.

In an attempt to come up with an answer, lets consider the various factors that were involved in the decision, along with DiVincenzo’s own game and fit with the Bucks.

What could the Milwaukee Bucks have done differently?

More from Bucks Draft

When it comes to trading up or down in the draft, I do think Jon Horst likely explored options but didn’t find a deal. In fact, we have evidence to suggest he was very close to trading down a couple of spots. In the end it seems that every team was on roughly the same page. There seemed to be a general consensus that picks 15-40 were at a very similar level. And if everyone has a similar opinion things become stale. Everyone can want to trade down and buy second rounders but it can’t happen if almost no-one wants to trade up and sell their seconds.

And so the Bucks ended up drafting the guy they liked with the 17th overall pick, Donte DiVincenzo from Villanova University.

In terms of other potential picks, I could easily talk about 15 more guys who could’ve been options, but I like DiVincenzo’s floor compared to the guys drafted after him, and I also am higher on his ceiling than most for reasons I’ll explain below.

DiVincenzo’s strengths are:

1) He is athletic (highest vertical in the combine).

2) He is versatile. DiVincenzo can shoot the three, he can pass, he has a high basketball IQ and can move well off the ball (as a product of the Villanova system). The 21-year-old also has a high motor and competes. On the defensive end he can have problems in the post but he is a good on-ball and team defender, while also being a solid rebounder for the position.

DiVincenzo’s weaknesses are:

1) His size for the shooting guard spot (6’5″ with a 6’6″ wingspan).

2) He’s not a good ball-handler. Sure, DiVincenzo can put it on the floor, but he doesn’t have advanced moves required to break down the defense.

3) His 70 percent free throw shooting is a bit worrisome. DiVincenzo doesn’t get that many free throws as he is mostly an off-ball player, but it makes one question his overall shooting ability even though in-game shooting and free throw shooting are different.

In terms of character, DiVincenzo is by all accounts a humble, hard-working kid who values contributing to winning basketball above anything else. He accepted to come off the bench despite the fact that it hurt his draft stock. Still, in the most crucial games he stepped up to do what his team needed, so he is not too humble or deferential.

Additionally, his “off the bench” status is a bit deceptive. Jalen Brunson (who is a very good player and potentially a steal with the 33rd pick) was the starting point guard playing 32 minutes and putting up solid numbers. Phil Booth who was the starting shooting guard was playing 27 minutes per game while DiVincenzo was playing 29 minutes per game and having a more central role in terms of usage (13.5 points, 3.5 assists for DiVincenzo vs 10 points, 3 assists for Booth).

Also, for as much as DiVincenzo’s tournament play is discussed, it is not like he only looked good late in the season. In the draft combine, where he was playing for himself, DiVincenzo dominated the scrimmages. He obviously looked good in the workouts as well, as his stock was constantly rising.

I understand that Bucks’ fans are afraid of him being the next D.J. Wilson, but Wilson only had a late season hot streak. He didn’t look that good in the combine and didn’t have the overall college career that DiVincenzo had. DiVincenzo’s case smells more like Kyle Kuzma — unimpressive in college but looked really good at the combine and workouts, and saw that translate to the NBA — than D.J. Wilson to me.

In regard to DiVincenzo’s fit on the Bucks, it starts with coach Mike Budenholzer, whose offensive philosophy (based on what we saw in Atlanta) is similar to the Villanova system. Ball movement, spacing and multiple capable decision makers are all prioritized.

The fact Giannis Antetokounmpo enjoys playing with pseudo-point guards that can shoot and can really elevate them is also a significant positive. One of the big reasons why Malcolm Brogdon was a hit was that with the Bucks he played a lot of point guard, which is not something he was projected to do coming out of college. One of the main reasons he could do this was by exploiting Giannis’ gravity to spot-up and attack closeouts.

I do think a key for DiVincenzo to be a big hit is to start playing the point more. Ball-handling is one of his weaknesses but also one of the most improvable skills in the NBA. I’m confident that if he is told the plan is to play him more in this role that he will improve, and he does have the required vision for that position.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks: Getting to know 17th overall pick, Donte DiVincenzo

So yes, I am sold on the DiVincenzo pick. Will it ultimately work out for the Milwaukee Bucks? We can only wait and see.

Home/Bucks Draft