Milwaukee Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo is primed for a breakout sophomore season

After his rookie campaign was derailed by injuries, Donte DiVincenzo will hope to take advantage of his opportunities this season with the Milwaukee Bucks.

With the 2019-20 season set to get underway for the Milwaukee Bucks, one of the team’s most intriguing players, in terms of breakout potential, is Donte DiVincenzo.

The Bucks are going to be extremely good this season. They have a team of established players who have proven what they are capable of on an NBA court, and they know how to win. In some ways, that can make them a fairly uninteresting team to think about, because you already know what you’re going to get if they stay healthy; a 55-60 win team with a good chance to make The NBA Finals.

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When it comes to DiVincenzo, though, we still don’t know exactly what he can do, and that adds an additional layer of intrigue as to what he may be capable of this year.

DiVincenzo, the Bucks’ 2018 first round pick, had a tough rookie campaign. To the surprise of many Bucks fans, he found himself in the thick of the Bucks’ rotation to begin the season last year, playing meaningful minutes in the first 14 games. However, he quickly fell out of it due to a persistent heel injury, and was shut down for good in late March.

Despite playing in only 27 games before being shut down, DiVincenzo showed flashes of his potential. In his limited action, we saw him showcase his athleticism, shooting, and playmaking. Unfortunately, he couldn’t provide those things consistently, finishing the season averaging only 4.9 points per game on 40 percent shooting, and a paltry 26.5 percent from three-point range.

Those stats aren’t a great source of confidence in DiVincenzo for Bucks fans, but Coach Mike Budenholzer’s willingness to play him should be. Coach Bud has shown over the last year that he wants players who can shoot, pass, drive, and defend. By playing DiVincenzo in those games to start the season, he proved that he believes DiVincenzo can be one of those guys.

As a fan, it’s easy to see why Bud believes in him. When you watch the Bucks play, you can always tell when DiVincenzo is on the floor. He’s the guy you see diving for loose balls, hounding his opponent on defense, and sprinting out on fast breaks. Yes, this occasionally leads to him making poor decisions with the ball on offense, or getting crossed over on defense, but it’s because he’s always going full-throttle. That’s what makes him one of Bud’s guys, as well as a fan favorite already.

With all the competition at the guard spots, DiVincenzo’s path to playing time may seem murky, but I see a lot of possibilities for him to crack into the rotation. As of right now, Eric Bledsoe will start at point guard, Wesley Matthews will likely start at shooting guard, and George Hill will be the primary backup. After that, it leaves DiVincenzo to compete with Pat Connaughton and Sterling Brown for the remainder of the backcourt minutes, with Frank Mason III also factoring in when he’s spending his two-way days up with the Bucks.

The reason playing time shouldn’t be an issue has already been revealed this preseason; Eric Bledsoe is dealing with an injury to his ribs, and Matthews and Hill are both 33 years old. That means there’s a high probability of one or more of them getting hurt, which could easily lead to DiVincenzo seeing meaningful minutes.

On top of that, the Bucks are likely to, again, be involved in a bunch of blowout wins this season, along with key players also getting rest games down the stretch. If DiVincenzo can stay healthy this time around, the path to minutes for him clearly exists.

The next concern would be his development. DiVincenzo must improve as a shooter in order to get minutes for the Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a force when he attacks the basket, but he needs shooters around him to give him the space he needs to attack. If DiVincenzo continues to shoot 27 percent from three, he won’t be on the court. Bud is going to play the hot hand.

However, there is reason to believe he can become a reliable shooter from deep. DiVincenzo was a 38 percent three-point shooter in college, he has a fundamentally sound shooting stroke, and his NBA stats may in some respects be the victim of small sample size.

By no means is 38 percent in college amazing, but it’s a very solid number that should offer potential for similar results in the NBA. With a team full of great shooters, including one of the best sharpshooters ever in Kyle Korver, DiVincenzo’s shooting should revert back to the mean over an entire season. Of course, he’ll have to actually play a full season, which leads me to the last obstacle standing in the way of DiVincenzo’s potential breakout: durability.

It’s blatantly obvious, but DiVincenzo needs to prove that he can stay healthy. The best ability is availability, and so far he hasn’t been able to provide that. Back in his freshman year of college, the former Villanova wildcat played in only nine games, missing most of the season with a right foot fracture. Then, in his first season with the Bucks, the 22-year-old missed most of the year with a heel issue. With some luck, hopefully DiVincenzo will be able to avoid the injury bug this season.

So far this preseason, Donte has averaged 11 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, while shooting 38.5 percent from the field, and 26.3 percent from three. The statistical improvement in shooting hasn’t happened yet, but he’s doing things you like to see, as evidenced in the video below.

It’s clear to see what is so exciting about DiVincenzo as a prospect. He has a good handle, the ability to attack and finish at the rim, and he can hit shots off the dribble or the catch.

As long as DiVincenzo can stay healthy, I’m confident he’ll take advantage of his opportunities this year on his way to a D.J. Wilson-esque breakout sophomore season.