Donte

DiVincenzo

DiVincenzo’s status was up in the air but now he’s set to serve his usual reserve roll. His fantasy upside is down significantly from last season and he’ll likely only have consistently desirable upside as a starter with Minnesota.

After playing both ends of Minnesota’s first two back-to-backs, Conley will sit out Wednesday’s game after playing 24 minutes in Tuesday’s loss to the Blazers. Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Donte DiVincenzo will figure more prominently in the rotation, with the former having better odds of moving into the starting lineup.

DiVincenzo filled up the stat sheet on Monday as he logged 28 minutes off the bench in the blowout win. He was a +33 despite four turnovers. DiVincenzo hasn’t had the same type of ceiling games he had with the Knicks occasionally last year, but it’s still early in the season. His varied skill set was on display Monday. The Timberwolves are back in action on Thursday against the Bulls.

After scoring 16 points in an October 26 win over Toronto, DiVincenzo tallied 10 points on 3-of-13 shooting in the following two games. Result aside, he needed a night like Saturday to snap out of that mini-slump. DiVincenzo isn’t even providing top 200 fantasy value thus far, which is a disappointing start despite the change in team and role. He’ll look to build on Saturday’s performance when Minnesota hosts Charlotte on Monday.

Playing at Madison Square Garden for the first time since being traded to the Timberwolves, DiVincenzo hit two 3-pointers and shot 3-of-4 from the field in the first quarter. He cooled off after halftime, but Minnesota (and fantasy managers) should be encouraged by what they’ve seen from the “Big Ragu” thus far. Of course, Mike Conley sitting out has opened up a spot in the starting lineup; DiVincenzo will likely come off the bench once the regular season begins. But he’s worth selecting in the later rounds of fantasy drafts, as Minnesota will need his scoring and 3-point shooting.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch did not play his starters past the first quarter, and two of the expected “first five” (Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle) were inactive. However, fans and fantasy managers alike had to be pleased with what they saw from DiVincenzo, who was perfect from the field in his unofficial Timberwolves debut. Coming off of the best season of his NBA career, the “Big Ragu” can provide value, even as a reserve. At a minimum, he’ll be worth selecting in the later rounds of standard-league drafts.

DiVincenzo is headed to Minnesota as part of the Towns trade after a stellar postseason performance for the shorthanded Knicks. With the addition of Mikal Bridges, he was likely headed to the bench in New York. While DiVincenzo stands to be a reserve in Minnesota, there may be more room for him to operate as a critical scoring option for the second unit. His fantasy status doesn’t change much regarding where the “Big Ragu” should be drafted, but his ceiling has been raised despite being ticketed for a bench role.

Everything seems to be coming together for the Knicks. Less than 24 hours after trading for Mikal Bridges, they are able to bring Anunoby back on a long-term deal, giving them one of the most formidable perimeter defenses in the league. Assuming both Bridges and OG start alongside Brunson and Randle, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo will likely come off the bench. New York also may struggle to bring back Isaiah Hartenstein now that they have committed so much money to Anunoby. However, they now have one of the deepest rotations in the league and still have two first round picks to add more talent.

As the Knicks continued to lose players, DiVincenzo kept firing away. He was outstanding in Game 7, shooting over 50% from the field and scoring 39 points. While DiVincenzo had a few games this postseason in which he struggled, the overall play was excellent. His 2023-24 season was better than anyone imagined, with DiVincenzo progressing from valued reserve to fixture in the Knicks starting lineup. He provided 3rd-round fantasy value after the trade deadline and finished the season just outside the top 60 in 9-cat formats. Expecting that level of production from DiVincenzo in 2024-25 would be a bit much, especially with a healthy Knicks roster. However, he’ll be worth selecting just inside the top 100.

DiVincenzo has cooled off considerably since scoring 25 points or more in the series’ first three games. While he hit double figures in Game 6, the Big Ragu has gone 13-of-41 from the field in Games 4 through 6. With Jalen Brunson receiving constant defensive attention from the Pacers, the Knicks need more from DiVincenzo in Game 7 on Sunday afternoon. The same can be said for reserve Alec Burks, who shot 2-of-8 from the field on Friday, especially if Josh Hart (abdomen) is limited or cannot play. Burks finished Game 6 with 11 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one 3-pointer in 25 minutes.