Currently riding a three-game win streak, the Milwaukee Bucks have found some much-needed momentum as they enter the final stretch of the regular season.
Despite the team as a collective unit starting to click recently, one player in particular that has struggled to find much consistency is Donte DiVincenzo. This has been his most prominent flaw in each of the past two seasons, and we have seen it periodically throughout the team’s 55 games this year.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
For reference, look no further than his last three appearances. In Milwaukee’s recent 116-104 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, DiVincenzo scored an impressive 22 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 6-for-10 from behind the arc in that matchup. The guard was firing on all cylinders that night, but his last two performances fail in comparison.
During those appearances, the guard has combined to score 16 points on 6-for-17 shooting, including 2-for-10 from 3-point territory. Although a small sample size, the inconsistency displayed throughout these three games is a recurring issue, and the team will need him to find some rhythm down the stretch.
Can Donte DiVincenzo find a groove offensively for the Milwaukee Bucks?
If the Bucks will finally overcome their postseason woes stemming from the last two seasons, they will need a consistent DiVincenzo. On a team with such prominent names as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday, DiVincenzo takes things up a notch when he is scoring the basketball.
He is averaging a career-best 10.6 points per game this season while knocking down 38.4 percent of his shots from behind the arc. After shooting 31.8 percent from long range in his first two seasons with the Bucks, that much-improved 3-point stroke has been a welcoming boost and undoubtedly the biggest improvement in his game.
When the long ball is falling, as it did in the loss to the Mavericks, DiVivincenzo is at his best. While he will certainly not knock down six triples per game consistently, staying aggressive with that shot will be pivotal. The floor spacing he can bring to the table will be key in a playoff setting as teams do their part to take Antetokounmpo out of games.
Furthermore, DiVincenzo could improve his game further if he could improve his finishing. Per NBA.com/stats, the guard is shooting just 75-for-145 from the restricted area this year, a subpar 51.7 percent. Converting on those chances close to the basket would help put extra points on the board, taking his game up a notch in the process.
While scoring the basketball with consistency has remained an issue, that does not mean the guard has been a nonfactor in games when his shot is not falling. He has seemingly mastered the art of hustle plays this season, hauling in rebounds and racking up deflections at a rapid right on a nightly basis to still make his presence felt.
In the bigger picture this season, the 24-year-old has been much better than he was in the previous two seasons. A large part of that stems from his bigger opportunity with the team as they promoted him into the starting lineup full time after he was nearly traded in the offseason in Milwaukee’s failed bid for Bogdan Bogdanovic.
DiVincenzo’s chance to find some consistency will be even more hindered as he is set to miss his second consecutive game tonight due to a toe injury. There is currently no timetable for his return, but hopefully he can make his return to the lineup soon and regain his footing.