What makes Milwaukee Bucks’ Donte DiVincenzo special?
Every team, and more-so every team’s fan base, has a player on their roster who can essentially be used as a test to the team’s fandom. In other words, one could say “oh, you think you know this team? Well then, give your opinion on this player.” It’s commonly not the team’s star player. Rather, it’s usually the team’s “hidden gem” player; the player whose impact goes beyond the box score.
A recently popular example has been with the Los Angeles Lakers. A Lakers fan might test some other opposing fan not by asking them for their opinion on LeBron James or Anthony Davis, but instead Alex Caruso. In order to fully grasp Caruso’s impact (his high IQ play and defensive hustle) one must, ideally, actually tune into Lakers games; they must look beyond the box score.
For the Milwaukee Bucks (arguably the best team in the NBA before the league was stricken by Coronavirus-induced woes) that hidden gem player (one who is worthy of being a “test of fandom” player) isn’t necessarily Giannis Antetokounmpo, no. Rather, it is Donte DiVincenzo.
Antetokounmpo’s importance to the Bucks and their success is well-known by every fan and their grandma at this point. DiVincenzo’s importance, on the other hand, might be unknown to many. That’s a very unfortunate thing because he is very important to the Bucks, and he will retain such importance when the NBA season finally resumes on July 30th.
That’s the premise of this article: to enlighten those who potentially don’t understand what exactly makes DiVincenzo so important, and so special, for the Milwaukee Bucks. Consider this a study guide, per se, for Milwaukee’s unofficial “test of fandom” player. To do this, four primary aspects of DiVincenzo’s game will be highlighted:
- Defensive impact
- Perimeter shooting
- Off-ball scoring
- Playmaking ability
Now, with those being the four primary aspects of his game, DiVincenzo evidently fits the mold of the rather “stereotypical”: role player. Another way to describe that mold is as the ideal role player; which is really all he has to be, especially considering his role within a Bucks team that already has the presence of Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton (among others).
Very few fit that stereotypical/ideal role player mold in a more elite fashion than DiVincenzo does. So without further ado, here is a depiction explaining why.