Final Word
There is plenty to get enamored with Donte DiVincenzo. Especially for those teams drafting toward the back half of the draft. He can come in and fill a role quite easily, attacking off the ball and spreading the floor with his shot. That ability is always valuable.
So too is his willingness to take on that role. He thrived in a specific role at Villanova and there is no reason to think he would get drafted to do anything differently at the NBA level. DiVincenzo could very well do that. He has those wide-ranging skills.
The question remains if DiVincenzo can scale up. Can he use that athleticism to score at the NBA level? Can he become a high-level defender? And can he bring that scoring burst to the league?
Could he even become something more?
That last question is probably why he figures to go in the later parts of the first round. He has the ability to play that secondary role. And he seemed to thrive there.
Accepting that is the first part of the battle for players fitting into a team. Most are stars on their college teams and finding a role is a struggle. DiVincenzo will not have that struggle. If he is elite at one thing it is this — playing off the bench.
That will help him go far. At least early in his career.
It seems like he can do everything a team could ask for from a reserve player. He can shoot the ball effectively and work off the ball. That will help him find a home somewhere. And possibly make an immediate impact.
But projecting much further is a bit of a challenge. He just does not have a lot of room to grow in his game. And certainly, his role will like always be limited to the bench.
That limits what he can do and where he might be successful.
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That realization is both promising and limiting.