Villanova Wildcats guard Donte DiVincenzo broke out in the NCAA Tournament. He has been a solid bench player and that could give him instant impact.
At the top of the NBA Draft, it is easy to get enamored with potential stardom. At those heights and that early in the Draft, teams are hoping to strike it big and get foundational pieces. The kind of players who will star for the team for a long time and be foundational pieces for the team far into the future.
The reality is not all of them will become stars. It is simply impossible from a number’s standpoint. And the future is not 100 percent. Teams will get it wrong.
And it is here where truly smart scouting takes place. It is not the teams that gamble and take big cuts on top picks that end up paying off, it is the teams that draft smart and understand how to minimize their risk and find someone who can fit in.
Later on in the Draft, there are teams still taking these wild cuts. But most teams want to find players who do something — anything — at an elite level and can contribute to the team in a meaningful way. Whether that is as a fringe starter or coming off the bench.
Then there is a player like Donte DiVincenzo. An underclassmen who thrived in this sixth man role and already filled in as a reserve player for a championship team. That bodes well for DiVincenzo as he enters the league.
He entered the Draft riding high off his 31-point performance in the national championship game against the Michigan Wolverines. There he hit five of seven 3-pointers and took over the game. All off the bench. Michigan never had a chance.
DiVincenzo was in line to take on a larger role next year for the defending champions. But this was clearly the time to strike for himself.
And that is where he might find the most success. He can continue to do what he did with the Villanova Wildcats in the NBA as a reserve role player. That is to make 3-point shots at an efficient clip, to rebound with surprising effectiveness for a player his size and to keep the ball moving with also surprising efficiency.
Maybe that is a bit of coded language. But DiVincenzo is a grinder. Whatever Villanova needed in the moment, he found a way to provide it. And every team could use that.
The Good
The big scoring performance against Michigan was truly a performance that showed Donte DiVincenzo at his very best. He was doing everything that he can do at such a high level.
There was the shooting — the biggest thing that stood out in that game. He hit five of seven 3-pointers that game and did them in a variety of ways. He ran effectively off pin downs and found a way to pull up. DiVincenzo hit them from deep and then used it to attack the basket.
This was a hot game for sure. But hardly an anomaly.
DiVincenzo 40.1 percent from beyond the arc and 37.8 percent for his entire three-year career. That is an effective shooter at the end of the day. He fit in perfectly with Jay Wright’s motion offense.
And he did a bit more than that.
DiVincenzo took on some of the playmaking role off the bench — DiVincenzo started just 10 games last year, he was a true sixth man. He averaged 3.5 assists per game in 29.3 minutes per game. Those are solid numbers for a short amount of time. Especially since DiVincenzo is not a natural point guard.
Adding on top of that, DiVincenzo’s shooting eventually loosens up the lane. He can attack the basket where he has decent athleticism to finish around the basket. Nothing to write home about, but definitely effective enough.
Then again, he had the highest standing and running vertical leap at the NBA Draft Combine. Maybe there is a little something more locked within him.
It is a strong offensive package and skill set from DiVincenzo.
And it comes in a very smart player. He makes great reads and cuts to the basket hard. This is a player that is not short on confidence.
Which makes his unselfishness in his willingness to come off the bench all the more endearing. This is a guy who clearly has the talent to test his limits a bit more at the college level. He likely would be a starter on almost every other college team.
Instead, he willingly accepted a role off the bench. And he thrived in it. Coaches and scouts certainly will look at that favorably.
The Bad
The worst thing about Donte DiVincenzo might very well be that he is not going to do anything better than the role he had at Villanova. DiVincenzo may never be a starter. Or even a high-level reserve player.
This is just not a guy to rely on for heavy playmaking or creation. He plays in bursts and attacks the basket quickly. But his moves are simplistic. DiVincenzo does not have a lot of fluff to his game. He is able to put on a simple move and get to the basket with his athleticism. Or he will pull up and shoot. All his decisions come quickly.
But DiVincenzo is never going to be able to be the dominant player in any lineup. Not at the NBA level, at least.
Will NBA teams ever ask him to do that much? Probably not. No team is drafting him to be the main player on their roster. Maybe not even the main player in any lineup.
DiVincenzo seems capable of playing this secondary role. That makes him attractive especially at the end of the first round and beginning of the second round. He can play a role.
But is a team ready to spend a draft pick or a high-level draft pick on a guy with a ceiling that seems so low? There is a point where that is OK. And in the 20s, it is probably OK to spend a pick on DiVincenzo.
That relatively low ceiling leaves little margin for error for DiVincenzo. He either is the player he was at Villanova at the NBA level or he struggles to find a role in the NBA.
His shooting percentage in his junior year was very good — as were his overall numbers. But nothing he did was spectacular.
Maybe this falls into the trap of the Jack of all trades, master of none. He is someone who is very good at several aspects of the game, but not elite at any of them. The biggest question is what will translate to the NBA level.
His leaping ability helps, but will he be able to get to the basket to use it at the NBA level? Will he be able to continue his strong shooting? How big can his role be at the NBA level?
These are all the questions surrounding DiVincenzo.
Draft Sites Say
Jonathan Givony, ESPN
"“He’s a versatile guard who brings toughness and aggressiveness on both ends of the floor, as well as deep range from beyond the arc. The fact that he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be successful is attractive on a roster with quite a bit of playmaking prowess already in place.”"
Kevin O’Connor, The Ringer
"Dynamic shooter off the catch with NBA range, though he’s streaky due to his inconsistent mechanics. He’s agile changing directions and uses different tempos to compensate for his lack of an elite first step or top gear. Effective shooter off the dribble. He often side-steps while gliding to his left to create space. . . . Subpar length limits him as a versatile defender, as he gets overpowered by larger players and beaten by quicker ones. Hasn’t displayed the ability to drain shots off screens. Subpar free throw shooter."
Matthew Harvey, NBADraft.net
"DiVincenzo can score at will, play D, and he is very athletic and a team oriented player … He scored 10 or more points in four of their six games during the postseason, including a team high 31 off the bench against Michigan in the title game … DiVincenzo is a top tier athlete with a legitimate vertical to go along with his solid frame and size . . . At Villanova, he was never a full-time starter and occasionally his minutes varied … He was never fully exposed to opponent’s game planning, benefitting from a championship level team around him … At times, his shooting became a bit streaky and he went into slumps, which is normal for players."
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.