More mature DiVincenzo embracing first return to Milwaukee

SAN FRANCISCO -- Donte DiVincenzo's introduction to Milwaukee after the Bucks selected him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft was everything he could have imagined and more.

His brother, mother and father -- a lifelong Bucks fan -- all were there. The DiVincenzos flew into Chicago, where a car service took them to meet head coach Mike Budenholzer and assistant Zach Peterson, who now is with the Los Angeles Lakers. The night consisted of a dinner that Donte and the rest of his family will never forget. 

"It was my first taste of the NBA, and I was super, super excited," DiVincenzo said to NBC Sports Bay Area on Friday at Chase Center after Warriors practice. "Everything happened so fast. I couldn't really even soak everything in." 

Now a key member off the Warriors' bench, Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum will be a first for the veteran guard. DiVincenzo grew from a role player to a key member of the Bucks' success and eventually their starting shooting guard the season they won the championship in 2021, breaking a 50-year-old drought without a title for the franchise. But he also sustained an injury to his left ankle in the first round of that playoffs during that championship season, one that ended his season and held him out until Christmas in 2021.

He understandably wasn't quite himself upon his return, and aggravated the same ankle injury three games into completing his comeback. Later in the season, DiVincenzo learned about a different side of the league in being traded to the Sacramento Kings as part of a four-team swap. One month after the move, redemption was on his mind in Sacramento. 

When DiVincenzo faced his former team as a member of the Kings, he admits he had a chip on his shoulder and wanted to prove a point. He scored 19 points -- his most ever with Sacramento -- made four 3-pointers, added four rebounds and swiped three steals as a reminder of who he still is, but the Kings lost by nine points to his former teammates. DiVincenzo is coming into Tuesday night's contest with a much different mindset this time. 

"I'm in a whole different city, a whole different organization and my focus is here," DiVincenzo explained to reporters on Friday. "I'm excited to go play there for the first time, but my focus isn't going to go away from what we're doing as a team and what my role is and my mindset for this team.

"I have bigger goals than just trying to win one game in the season."

DiVincenzo was a bright-eyed 21-year-old when the Bucks called his name on draft night. He was coming off a redshirt sophomore season at Villanova that included being named the Big East's Sixth Man of the Year and the NCAA's Final Four Most Outstanding Player after scoring 31 points to go with five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in the championship game against Jordan Poole and the Michigan Wolverines. 

Following his eye-opening run throughout March Madness, DiVincenzo kept rising up the ranks for the draft. He went from becoming a household name on the college scene to being a player fan bases were clamoring over. Known as someone who can do a bit of everything on the court, DiVincenzo put on a show at the draft combine with a combine-best 34.5-inch standing vertical leap. His 42-inch max vertical leap was tied for the best of the event. 

Then came that June night where the Bucks made his and his family's dreams come true. All DiVincenzo could envision was growing into the perfect complement alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. The NBA isn't always a straight and narrow path, though. In fact, that's rarely the case. 

Looking back at the Donte DiVincenzo who arrived in Milwaukee the first time compared to the version of himself who is about to go through his first homecoming, the Warriors guard believes the biggest difference is maturity. Turning 26 years old at the end of next month, DiVincenzo has lived a handful of phases that is The Association: Becoming a first-round draft pick, injuries, winning a championship, being traded and going through free agency. 

Every story needs a starting point. For Donte's NBA journey, it all started in Milwaukee. 

"I think my maturity level, just understanding there's multiple facets to the NBA," DiVincenzo said, regarding his biggest life change since draft night. "There's the business side of it, there's the personal side of the connections and the relationships that you build and then there's the basketball side, just coming in every day and handling your business. That's kind of the reason why going to Milwaukee for this game is so exciting, just to see those guys. That's the personal side.

"Basketball side, I'm locked in to what we're doing here and that's going to take care of itself. And I understand the business side of things. So with everything I'm in a good spirit, I'm in a good head space. I'm just ready to see my guys."

He's ready to see the fans, too. They gravitated towards DiVincenzo's playing style in no time. The reason, he believes, is simple. 

It's the same reason Kerr trusts DiVincenzo every time he calls his number off the bench. His energy is felt. Coaches can feel it, as can teammates and all of Dub Nation. So did the many who rooted for him over his three-plus years in Milwaukee. 

Stats will come. For DiVincenzo, the dirty work comes before the box score.

"Just playing hard and tough," DiVincenzo said when asked about love from Bucks fans. "I think that's a big reason why Bobby Portis is so loved there. He just comes in and plays hard. And he engages with the fans. Me, I didn't do that as much.

"I just tried to play my butt off and a hard-working city like that, they kind of appreciate it and it resonates with them. That's the mentality that I had."

DiVincenzo isn't a big presence on social media. His only tweet of the season has been a retweet of the San Francisco SPCA in a video where DiVincenzo helped spread awareness on the importance of pet adoptions. His only post on Instagram since joining the Warriors is a picture from media day. 

Following his departure from last February, he didn't put a post on either platform thanking Bucks, their fans or the city of Milwaukee. That isn't because of the love he'll always have for all three. It just isn't his style. 

Any thanks he has can't be wrapped in a fancy graphic or 240-character tweet. Thankful and grateful are two words DiVincenzo turns to. Without the Bucks, without Milwaukee, who knows where his road would have taken him. 

We all need a start, an opportunity, a door to open. That's what Milwaukee did for DiVincenzo. 

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"For me, they opened the door to the NBA for me," DiVincenzo said. "I can play for every team in the NBA. No matter what, I'm still always going to have that special love for the organization, for that front office for giving me my first shot in the NBA. That goes with the fans as well.

"To get into the NBA is so hard. For them to open the door and allow me to show what I can do, that set me up for my career and the one that I'm going to have and continue to have." 

While he's fixated on the present and living in the moment as a Warrior, DiVincenzo finally can look back with a lot of love. That's a gift many wish they could have, too.

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