D'Amato: Bucks get exactly what they were looking for in Donte DiVincenzo
It’s not often that one of a team’s biggest needs and the best player available intersect at No. 17 in the NBA draft.
That’s exactly what happened Thursday night when 6-foot-5 combo guard Donte DiVincenzo of Villanova dropped into the Milwaukee Bucks’ lap in the first round.
“Donte was our guy,” general manager Jon Horst said. “If you were up there (in the Bucks’ draft room) and saw the elation … we were worried about it. We thought he’d go a bit before us.”
Horst made it clear in his predraft interviews that whomever the Bucks selected would be expected to make an immediate contribution. Translation: a hard-nosed practice player at the least and, ideally, someone who would contribute off the bench.
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DiVincenzo almost certainly will be the former and has a chance to be the latter because of what Horst cited as “his physical toughness, the level at which he competes and the fact that he can shoot the basketball.”
A 40% shooter from beyond the college three-point line, DiVincenzo projects to give the Bucks a badly needed perimeter threat. A tremendous athlete, he had a combine-leading 34.5-inch standing vertical leap and a top-10 three-quarter sprint.
That bodes well for a team that will run and run and run some more under new coach Mike Budenholzer.
The Bucks still need an imposing banger-rebounder-rim protector – I’d argue that remains their biggest need – but all the outstanding big men went early in this draft. Still, you can never have too many superior athletes and DiVincenzo, who doesn’t need the ball in his hands and is a willing defender, figures to be a nice complement to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe.
Let’s face it, any player coming to Milwaukee – whether it’s through the draft, a trade or free agency – is going to have to be a fit with Antetokounmpo. Horst won’t make a move in player personnel without considering how it impacts his franchise player; you can be sure he and Budenholzer vetted DiVincenzo not only for his skill set but for what he brings to the table as a teammate.
“I mean, you talk about a superstar, (Antetokounmpo) is one of the best players in the league right now,” DiVincenzo said. “My job is just go in there and make sure he has all the confidence in the world that I’m on the court with him.”
DiVincenzo became a household name in April, when he scored 31 points off the bench in the NCAA championship game, leading Villanova to a 79-62 victory over Michigan. He had 15 points and six rebounds against Kansas in the semifinals and was named the Final Four most outstanding player.
“That was unbelievable,” he said. “That was a connection I had with my teammates. They set me up to be here. Coach (Jay) Wright set me up to be here and it’s a blessing to be in this position.”
DiVincenzo was the Big East sixth man of the year, so coming off the bench for the Bucks will require no big adjustment. Horst said that in talking with the Villanova coaches and with players and coaches who competed against ‘Nova, he heard consistently that DiVincenzo was one of the best two or three players on the team.
DiVincenzo came off the bench on two national championship teams, which Horst said demonstrated the player’s willingness to make sacrifices and do whatever it took to help his team win.
It helped, also, that under Wright, Villanova plays an up-tempo style.
“Villanova plays a pro-style game,” Horst said. “Not every college team does, but ‘Nova does. That was a factor, sure.”
You never can tell about a mid-first round pick in the NBA draft. For every Antetokounmpo, selected 15th in 2013, there are dozens of players who wash out of the league after a year or two.
And so, there are no guarantees with DiVincenzo. But it sure looks like the Bucks got a player who will help them.