Milwaukee Bucks: Jrue Holiday talks Donte DiVincenzo’s importance in interview

Starting guards Donte DiVincenzo and Jrue Holiday have gotten quite close throughout their first season in the backcourt together with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The dynamic between this two is interesting as Holiday is in his 12th NBA season while DiVincenzo is the third-year guard looking to establish himself in this league. Despite the many differences they share, the pair have seemingly developed a strong connection both on and off the court as the year has progressed.

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That combination is something that I asked Holiday about while virtually sitting down with him to discuss his recently announced partnership with Ripple Foods (More about the partnership below).

With a full regular season playing alongside one another finally in the books, I asked Holiday about the development he has seen playing with the 23-year-old DiVincenzo and what he believes the guard brings to the table:

"“Donte is one of my favorite players. He’s just a winner. He’s won in high school, he’s won in college, he won championships in college. To be able to bring that type of mentality to our team has been huge. I think he’s an all-around player.He shares the ball well, he can shoot, he’s making plays for other people. So I think to be able to play with guys like that is championship-caliber. He’s been huge for our team.”"

Jrue Holiday highlights just how important Donte DiVincenzo is for the Milwaukee Bucks

As Holiday detailed, DiVincenzo has been a swiss army knife for the Bucks with his ability to do everything this season. With a profound ability to score the basketball, haul in rebounds, make the hustle plays, and defend at a high level, the young guard could be the ultimate X-factor for this team heading into the playoffs.

That is particularly the case with his scoring ability, an area he has improved marginally this season. After shooting 31.8 percent on 3.5 attempts from behind the arc throughout his first two seasons with the Bucks, DiVincenzo has upped his production and efficiency this year by hitting 37.9 percent of his 5.2 triple attempts per game.

DiVincenzo is at his best when playing confidently with the basketball in his hands and looking to score the ball from anywhere on the floor. This has been the case lately as the guard has found himself in a nice rhythm by averaging 13.6 points on .460/.395/.700 shooting splits, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists over his last six contests.

The Bucks will need production like that consistently in the starting lineup from DiVincenzo, and he will ride the hot hand heading into the playoffs. In a lineup with Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, DiVincenzo is certainly not the primary option for this squad. Still, he has the potential to take things up a notch when he is firing on all cylinders.

This will be the case as he is set to play a starting role for the first time in the playoffs for the Bucks in their upcoming set with the Miami Heat. All eyes will be on the young guard to see how he handles the pressure, but playing with confidence will be the ultimate key. Playing alongside arguably the best two-way point guard in the association undoubtedly helps heighten that confidence as there is plenty DiVincenzo can learn from the former All-Star.

Ripple is a plant-based dairy alternative made from protein-filled yellow peas that is also good for the environment due to the lack of water it takes to produce compared to standard dairy products. If you would like to read more about Holiday’s partnership with Ripple Foods and why he has embraced the plant-based dairy alternative and their motives, you can click here.