Milwaukee Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo among NBA’s most promising sophomores
By Adam McGee
Having put together an excellent season so far with the Milwaukee Bucks, Donte DiVincenzo will head to Orlando as one of the league’s standout sophomores.
For as formidable as the roster that has driven the Milwaukee Bucks to a league-best record is, the truth is it’s generally lacking in the kind of young, high potential players that can often feature in ascendant forces in the NBA.
That’s not to say that Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t young at 25 years old, but now approaching the end of his seventh season, he’s very much hitting the prime, middle phase of his career.
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Between underwhelming draft picks and not always having picks over the past few years, the Bucks have needed to rely on rounding out their roster with more experienced contributors in free agency, and have done a phenomenal job on that front.
Still, there’s a special intrigue that comes with seeing a young player show real promise and the potential to develop into something much greater, and that had been one of the few things the Bucks had lacked. That is, until Donte DiVincenzo made everyone sit up and take notice this season.
After injury significantly curtailed his rookie season, DiVincenzo entered his second year as a pro up against lower expectations, but likely facing increased pressure to make an impact and prove to his team that he belongs in the NBA.
That’s exactly what the former Villanova Wildcat has done, establishing himself as a key reserve on the league’s best team, often being Coach Mike Budenholzer’s go-to option to fill in as a starter in case of any backcourt injuries, and proving to be a difference maker on both ends of the floor.
That has given Bucks fans a new player to be excited about, not just for what DiVincenzo is already offering, but what could still be to come too.
As a result, the Delaware native has also been a player that we’ve found ourselves talking about very frequently at Behind the Buck Pass since the season was suspended.
Dalton Sell highlighted DiVincenzo as a player who could be crucial for Milwaukee in the playoffs, particularly given he provides additional cover at guard to compensate for Eric Bledsoe’s postseason inconsistencies.
More recently Jordan Treske wrote about how DiVincenzo had been tipped as one of the young players who could have a breakout postseason in Orlando, according to an ESPN poll of league insiders.
Building further upon that, on Tuesday, Kevin Pelton and Mike Schmitz took a deep dive into the performance of the league’s sophomore class for ESPN+ ($), assessing the star potential of 2019 draftees behind the obvious duo of Luka Doncic and Trae Young.
DiVincenzo was ranked eighth in terms of star potential by Pelton and ninth by Schmitz, with both analysts highlighting Donte’s excellent season and sharing their belief that he could be poised for an exceptional playoff run.
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For the Bucks, DiVincenzo is already a key contributor, but excitement comes from the fact that there still could be a lot more to come from the 23-year-old too. If he reaches that next level in the playoffs, Milwaukee will be well-placed to win it all.