Milwaukee Bucks: Why Donte DiVincenzo is such a special player

Donte DiVincenzo’s playmaking ability

The Milwaukee Bucks have no shortage of playmakers. They have three capable primary initiators (players who can drive the offense by themselves) in Antetokounmpo, Middleton, and Bledsoe. But in terms of having secondary creators (players who can still create offense for others, but do so more sparingly – or “in the motion of the offense” – rather than almost every possession).

A secondary creator is a role DiVincenzo falls under, and he fits there quite nicely. He obviously doesn’t have the keys to Milwaukee’s offense, but whenever he is allowed to sit in the driver’s seat he makes the most of it. Take a look at the following B-Ball Index statistics that go beyond the usual way to measure passing (assists per game; in which he was averaging 2.3 per game):

• High-Value Assist Points per 75 Poss: 3.3 (70th percentile)
• Assist Points per 75 Poss: 8.8 (67th percentile)
• Role Adjusted Assist Points per 75 Poss: 1.1 (76th percentile)
• Box Creation Assists: 3.5 (69th percentile)

“Assist Points per 75” and “Role Adjusted Assist Points per 75” more-so display how DiVincenzo maximizes his playmaking given his role withing Milwaukee’s offense. Again, he might not get the most opportunities to create plays for others; but when he does, he’s successful at an above-average league rate. It’s the other two stats where the juice really lies.

“High-Value Assists” are essentially assists that lead to the most efficient shots i.e. 3-pointers or rim-attempts (also i.e. the bulk of Milwaukee’s offense). “Box Creation” covers a similar aspect; it is how many looks a player generates by drawing attention to himself. A lot of those looks actually lead to “High-Value Assists” via drive-and-kick and pick-and-roll situations.

There are quite a few important things going on in the two snippets above. The first thing to note is how much attention he attracts on his drives. In both clips all five defenders have their focus drawn to DiVincenzo; also in both clips, he manages to draw two-three defenders in his direction, opening up numerous kick out options.

His patience and body control is also noteworthy in both clips. He waits till the last second to bite on the kick-out opportunities; this assures the shooter he’s passing to will have the most optimal time to shoot the ball (because the longer he waits to pass, the more the defense commits). His body control allows him to do this. In both clips he is able to pass out of a perceived shot attempt; its playmaking manipulation at it’s finest, and it’s no easy task to master.

This is all an excellent depiction of DiVincenzo as a playmaker; he maximizes whatever passing possession he is given. That is also evident when he is in the pick and roll.

On this possession, DiVincenzo’s “Box Creation” is displayed nicely. He draws the attention of both Darius Garland and Kevin Love off the pick, allowing for Lopez to easily slip his way to the basket. Then, DiVincenzo drops a dime of an overhead pass that only Lopez can reach (for what then leads to a “High Value” basket). Now, this next play isn’t out of the pick-and-roll, but it still displays DiVincenzo’s ability to quickly create High-Value shots for others.

Notice how quickly he reads the defense here; as soon as he gets the pass off of the screen, he notices that he has three defenders committed to him. Then he smartly pauses his dribble and finds the ideal read (a cutting Antetokounmpo, one of the most dominant plays in basketball). DiVincenzo might not get the most opportunities to create offense, but he doesn’t need many. He’s a quick enough thinker that he can make do with the on-ball time that he’s given.

The last part of that last sentence summarizes DiVincenzo’s game perfectly. He makes the most out of what he’s given. His advanced offensive stats (like they did with his defense) point to that.

• Offensive PIPM: +0.8 (86th percentile)
• Offensive RPM: +1.7 (92nd percentile)
• Offensive Raptor: +1.4 (85th percentile)
• Offensive BPM: -0.6 (60th percentile)

Looking at those offensive impact metrics above (as well as the earlier-listed defensive impact metrics) some might call DiVincenzo an “impact metrics darling.” A more blunt (and potentially more accurate), description of him would be that he is just a very good basketball player.

From afar, one might not be able to reach that conclusion. But upon a deeper dive, DiVincenzo’s impact becomes inarguably present. It takes an educated eye to realize that he is special (hence the “test of fandom” player label he was given earlier); hopefully this article acts as a trustworthy “introductory course” towards a higher education on DiVincenzo’s game.

Because that game of his was very important for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, and it should remain very important when the season starts up again on July 30th. Obviously, the team will only go as far as the likes of Antetokounmpo and Middleton will take them; but DiVincenzo will still be owed plenty of thanks if the team is still playing come the fall.

DiVincenzo is an elite NBA role player and he is being such on the best (statistical) team in the league. For the reasons listed in this article, he is one of the most important parts of Milwaukee’s (hopeful) championship equation (it’s fair to place him in the top five, at least).  Bucks fans have known this for quite some time; hopefully, from now on, outsider’s knowledge will follow suit.