The cons: Is Donte DiVincenzo’s skill set too valuable to give up for the win-now Milwaukee Bucks?
A number of trade proposals circulating social media seem to have forgotten that DiVincenzo flourished during his first year as a starter, as he has done every year in his career thus far. His 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game to end last season were all career-highs, and with his numbers going up every year, there’s no reason to think they won’t take another jump this year if he gets his chances.
Make no mistake: DiVincenzo is still an elite defender and rebounder at his position despite his shortcomings on the other end. Smart, fundamental hustlers and ball-stoppers aren’t easy to find in this league, especially for a team that just lost Tucker after winning a championship almost solely off its stifling defense. Elite defenders who can shoot the ball are even rarer.
Last season, Donte’s defensive rating of 109.1 points given up per 100 possessions finished eighth in the NBA among starting guards with at least 60 games played. In his lone game thus far against the Boston Celtics, he finished with a team-high defensive rating of 93.9 in his 15 minutes of play. He was also a game-high net +43.6. Therein lies the argument for keeping him: perhaps it’s not so much DiVincenzo’s value and production on the court, but the diversity of his skillset and his ability in doing the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet.
Earlier on in the season, it was clear the Bucks were banking on 6-foot-6 Semi Ojeleye to be something of a Tucker replacement of sorts for the defending champs. However, after a relatively slow start and a slew of DNP-CDs, it’s clear his chances are slowly running out. Without a stout defensive wing to give the Bucks defensive versatility and switchability in the playoffs, the shorter DiVincenzo would at the very least be a competent defensive presence in small ball situations even with Matthews logging minutes.
Despite the redundancies in their games, could the marginal differences between the defense and rebounding between DiVincenzo and players like Connaughton and Allen be the key in the team’s title hopes? It was, after all, their hustle and defense that hoisted them over the surging Phoenix Suns just a few short months ago. And that year, DiVincenzo was in the 85th percentile in his position in both defensive and offensive rebounding, per Cleaning the Glass.
There’s also the matter, again, of injury history — the entire team’s, that is. As it currently stands, Having him around is excellent insurance for a Bucks team that has been plagued with injury all season long. Head coach Mike Budenholzer has been comfortable giving DiVincenzo limited minutes at the point guard and small forward positions, where he spent seven and nine percent of his minutes, respectively, just a year ago. If the team’s injury bug continues to plague the season, it could be worth having a player of DiVincenzo’s caliber around.
DiVincenzo becomes a restricted free agent this season, and it’s tough to imagine the Milwaukee Bucks paying both him and Allen, whom they’ve already offered a contract extension. The biggest pro of trading him? They don’t lose him for nothing.
Wherever he ends up, expect DiVincenzo and what he brings to the table to be a massive pro to his team regardless of the situation he finds himself in.