Milwaukee Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo is mastering the art of hustle plays

Donte DiVincenzo has always had a penchant of making the routine plays extraordinary for the Milwaukee Bucks, especially at his 6’4″ size.

In what’s been a career year for the third-year guard all across the board, DiVincenzo has been on an absolute tear when it comes to rebounding the ball on both ends of the floor. That’s been especially so since the All-Star break where DiVincenzo is averaging 8 rebounds across 29.9 minutes per game in the Bucks’ 10 games after the break, which trails only superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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DiVincenzo’s size has never been a problem in this regard as his endless engine, speed and athleticism all lend themselves well in terms of flying in to extend plays offensively or finishing out stops on the other side of the ball.

The constant dose of energy that DiVincenzo regularly brings anytime he touches the floor certainly manifests itself best when looking to haul in misses from either the Bucks or the opposition.

Plays like the following where DiVincenzo cleans up the short jumper from Khris Middleton leads to the kind of opportunistic scores that DiVincenzo regularly creates out of thin air.

With all of that in mind, DiVincenzo is averaging career-highs with 5.4 rebounds, a 5.0 offensive rebounding percentage and a 15.5 defensive rebounding percentage.

Donte DiVincenzo is excelling in making the little plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Beyond the 24-year-old’s rebounding output and proclivity to track back on the glass, DiVincenzo’s hustle is seen in other ways such as chasing down loose balls or breaking into passing lanes and deflecting passes.

Per NBA.com/stats, DiVincenzo has recovered 53 total loose balls so far this season, which ranks sixth in the league. Additionally, DiVincenzo has tallied 100 deflections and is averaging 2.2 deflections per game.

All of this paints the picture of the invaluable contributions and characteristics that make DiVincenzo such a fascinating player, even as he doesn’t fill a traditional archetype for a player of his size. And it’s why Antetokounmpo referred to DiVincenzo as the heart and soul of this Bucks team as Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently wrote (subscription required).

It’s hard not to disagree with the reigning MVP as the things that are unique to DiVincenzo is what fuels the Bucks as they need an emotional heartbeat, especially through a season where they’ve gone some ebbs and flows. It’s along those same lines where we’ve seen Thanasis Antetokounmpo enjoy success in his limited rotation minutes as the season progresses.

As DiVincenzo continues to find ways to consistent, especially when hitting shots from long range and being able to be a productive finisher around the basket, he’ll continue to make something out of nothing. And the Bucks will continue to feed on the tone he sets by making plays that come so naturally for DiVincenzo.