Milwaukee Bucks: Grades for each starter heading into All-Star break
By Dalton Sell
It has been a bumpy ride to this point, but the Milwaukee Bucks will officially head into the All-Star break with a 22-14 record.
Growing pains were largely expected given the massive turnover of the roster the Bucks went through this offseason, and they have indeed been on display. Amidst the struggles, one unit that has meshed well together throughout the first portion of the season has been the starting lineup.
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Despite averaging the 11th-fewest minutes in the league among starting fives, Milwaukee’s lineup ranks top five in points, assists, and rebounds per game. This collective group has been among the league’s best production-wise, all of which has been made more impressive by the limited time they are doing it in.
Taking a closer look at each individual starter, each has brought something different to the table to help propel this success. Heading into the All-Star break, here is a grade for each starter after the first part of the season.
Milwaukee Bucks: Grade for Donte DiVincenzo heading into All-Star break
Serving as a complementary piece off the bench for the previous two seasons, the Bucks granted Donte DiVincenzo a full-time promotion by sliding him into the starting lineup. The 24-year-old discussed how he entered this season more motivated than ever before, and the team would certainly need it.
However, inconsistency issues had plagued the guard since being drafted by the team several years ago, and he has not been able to shake that nagging problem even in the starting lineup. Some nights the Villanova product looks like he has taken the next step as a player, but other nights he is virtually unimpactful in any regard.
In the bigger picture, DiVincenzo is still putting together a career year, averaging 10.3 points on .418/.384/.636 shooting splits, 4.7 rebounds, three assists, and 1.1 steals per game. While the increase in his scoring and playmaking has undoubtedly been a welcoming boost, the biggest impact in his game has been his 3-point shooting.
After shooting 31.8 percent from deep on 3.5 attempts over his first two seasons in Milwaukee, the guard has upped that number to 38.4 percent on 4.9 attempts. The Bucks have primarily relied on Donte as a catch-and-shoot guard from distance, and to his credit, he is knocking down those shots efficiently at 40 percent, per NBA.com/stats.
While the shooting has been great, the Bucks could use more from DiVincenzo offensively elsewhere on the floor. He has been subpar when trying to score in the restricted area by hitting just 59 of his 111 shot attempts in that area. Shooting 53.2 percent so close to the basket certainly hurts, and finishing is one area he must work on.
Although the inconsistencies continue to impact his overall play, DiVincenzo has been solid for Milwaukee this season. Still, there is much more room left for improvement from one of the youngest players on the roster.