It felt as though Donte DiVincenzo was looking to prove something once the Milwaukee Bucks‘ 2020-21 season tipped off a little more than a month ago.
Following his poor run in the bubble and an offseason in which he was nearly dealt to the Sacramento Kings as part of the failed Bogdan Bogdanovic, DiVincenzo displayed his motivations on the court by rattling off inspired performances. As the Bucks have and continued to find their way, DiVincenzo’s hot start stood as a source of optimism for Bucks fans eager to see what was in store for the 23-year-old.
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While not for a lack of trying, DiVincenzo has clearly been unable to sustain his hot scoring start especially. Through his 15 appearances on the season, DiVincenzo is averaging 10.1 points .449/.429/.750 shooting, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals across his 25.4 minutes per contests.
So without further ado, let’s explore how Donte DiVincenzo can improve his game to shake out of his cold slump.
3 ways for Donte DiVincenzo to shake cold spell – Reignite hot shooting from long range
There was no better indication of DiVincenzo’s hot start than the way he shot the lights out once the season got underway.
Now as the one-month mark has passed, the lights have turned back on as DiVincenzo has unsurprisingly regressed in his ability to hit looks from distance. In his 11 appearances for the month of January, DiVincenzo is shooting 17-for-51 from deep, which differs from the 16-for-26 shooting he had shot in the Bucks’ five games during December.
With 56.6 percent of DiVincenzo’s shots coming from beyond the arc, the 23-year-old’s floor spacing is essential to maximizing his fit alongside the Bucks’ cornerstone shot creators such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton.
The disparity in how effective DiVincenzo is when hitting shots off the ball versus off the dribble has been very apparent. Per NBA.com/stats, DiVincenzo is shooting 27-of-57 on catch-and-shoot triples, which is the most catch-and-shoot threes made by any Bucks player so far this season.
DiVincenzo simply hasn’t been effective as a shooter with the ball in his hands, both inside and outside the arc. DiVincenzo is 8-for-26 on his total pull up attempts so far, making for a 42.3 effective field goal percentage.
As DiVincenzo tries to find his way back consistently scoring in double digits regularly again, tracking how he is able to hit shots off the catch versus off the ball will be key in his effectiveness as a tertiary scorer for the Bucks.