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Milwaukee Bucks: 5 goals for Donte DiVincenzo in 2018-19 season

By Jordan Treske

TARRYTOWN, NY - AUGUST 12: Donte DiVincenzo #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
TARRYTOWN, NY - AUGUST 12: Donte DiVincenzo #9 of the Milwaukee Bucks poses for a portrait during the 2018 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on August 12, 2018 at the Madison Square Garden Training Facility in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 03: (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 03: (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /

Holding his own defensively

As much as the best of DiVincenzo’s defensive services revolve around his intensity and tough as nails attitude, questions surfaced about whether he’ll be a positive or at least, net neutral defender following his selection in late June.

DiVincenzo’s rather average physical tools, lateral movement and discipline in this area all pose as the biggest factors that clouds how he’ll project to perform on this end at the next level.

Recognizing those concerns, DiVincenzo got some helpful defensive technique tips from a longtime NBA veteran point guard in Kirk Hinrich during his first summer as a professional as DiVincenzo told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune this week:

"“A big thing he helped me with that isn’t really normal in predraft stuff is defense,” DiVincenzo said. “We did so much defending. I had to get over screens. He was one of the best at that. I talked to different coaches throughout the draft process. And they said he was one of the best at not getting screened. He was just showing me veteran tips where I could get ahead of the game early.” The drills were one-on-one. “He’s competitive as hell,” DiVincenzo said. “He shared plenty of his personal experiences. First, he’d compete with me. He’d push me in that way rather than just telling me what to do in a drill. Then, if he saw something he used to do when he was younger, he would stop me and say, ‘Hey, this is how you get around that so you don’t get stuck.’ And he’d do the drill again to see if I adjusted to it, which really helped.”"

DiVincenzo will certainly put those pointers to good use as he could have to defend the point of attack and/or on the wing, depending on how much Coach Bud utilizes the Delaware native in various lineups.

In the very likely event that he will experience growing pains with having to check players who overmatch him both athletically, physically and mentally, it will be interesting to follow how much patience Budenholzer has in DiVincenzo going through those first-year adjustments.

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