In a major trade involving Karl-Anthony Towns at the start of the season, Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle were sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, his performance at the beginning of this season did not meet expectations. In fact, DiVincenzo has always had the problem of starting slowly. Last season, when he played for the Knicks, he could only average 8.5 points in the first two months, with a shooting percentage of 39.6% and a three-point percentage of 39.7%. He started to heat up in December, and from January to the end of the regular season, DiVincenzo's scoring average increased to 18.8 points, with a shooting percentage also rising to 44%, along with a three-point percentage of 37.8%.
During the 2022-23 season with the Golden State Warriors, the situation was similar. In October and November, DiVincenzo averaged only 5 points, with a shooting percentage of 35.9% and a three-point percentage of 34.8%. But around New Year's Day, he warmed up again, and from January to the end of the season, he could average 10.7 points, with a shooting percentage of 45% and a three-point percentage of 40.4%.
This season's situation is the same as the previous two seasons. With his form warming up in December, he now seems to have found his place with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Monday's game where the Timberwolves defeated the San Antonio Spurs 112-110, DiVincenzo scored a team-high 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. This game was also his third consecutive game scoring in double digits and his second consecutive game scoring over 20 points. The Timberwolves won all three of these games. Throughout December, he averaged 11.5 points, with a shooting percentage of 44.3% and a three-point percentage of 40.8%; while in October and November, his shooting percentage was significantly worse, averaging only 9.5 points and 8.8 points respectively.
In the past few months of several seasons, DiVincenzo's performance has not been good, but perhaps this is more due to the fact that this guard has changed teams many times over the years. Preparing for the long NBA regular season is already a daunting task, and facing new faces and learning new systems will make this process even more difficult.
Taking this season as an example, DiVincenzo was originally ready to make a comeback with the Knicks, but what came was a blockbuster trade that packaged him and Randle for Towns, and he did not get a complete offseason to adapt to the new team. Moreover, he joined a team that had just traded away Towns, a player deeply loved by home fans, and as his replacement, there would inevitably be pressure, not to mention that this team had just made it to the Western Conference Finals and welcomed its best season in decades.
DiVincenzo also talked about the pressure in an interview, saying, "In this trade, you lose a core player, and at the same time, two guys come in. They are not just shooters; they are key rotation players who need to figure things out. When things don't go well, given the success the team had last year, you will receive a lot of criticism."
Although DiVincenzo is often labeled as a player who can plug and play in any system and be effective on any team, Randle is not. Even DiVincenzo's style of play requires time to adapt to a new system, and understanding the offensive and defensive habits of his teammates is not something that can be accomplished overnight.
DiVincenzo said, "I also have to give myself a grace period to understand this new offense, new city, and everything new. So just understand that it's a mixed bag because I know the tide is turning. Everyone here has confidence in me, so let's just go out there and do it, no excuses, just do it."