There was no chance the Warriors could afford to keep Donte DiVincenzo in 2023 free agency. He was a one-year rental. DiVincenzo averaged 9.4 points per game on a career-high 39.7% shooting from three. He's credited Steph Curry for his improved shooting, a trait he carried over to the New York Knicks.
DiVincenzo signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Knicks last summer. He's another one of Leon Rose's steals. The guard has played better than advertised. He's averaging a career-best 14.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 44.2% from the field and a career-high 40% from deep.
He averages 8.4 threes per game, up from the 5.3 he averaged with the Warriors. DiVincenzo's three-point shooting volume has increased, and his accuracy hasn't dipped.
When Knicks fans think DiVincenzo can't get any better this season, he has a wild shooting night. In Monday's win against the Pistons, he finished with a career-high 40 points on 11-of-20 shooting from three. He set a franchise record for most threes made in a game.
A CAREER NIGHT FOR DONTE DIVINCENZO 👌
— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2024
🔥 40 PTS, a new career high
🔥 11 3-pointers, a new Knicks franchise record pic.twitter.com/iVZJg9ebxa
Since the All-Star break, DiVincenzo is averaging 19.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. During that span, he's made 70 threes, more than any other player in the league. Klay Thompson (69) and Steph Curry (63) are two of the players on his heels.
Most threes since the All-Star game:
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 27, 2024
70 — DiVincenzo
69 — Klay
63 — Steph
63 — Luka
63 — Garland
Top three played on the same team last season. pic.twitter.com/9cf7tSuHsh
Donte DiVincenzo leads league with most made threes since All-Star break
DiVincenzo was supposed to come off the bench with the Knicks. Quentin Grimes took the starting shooting guard spot from Evan Fournier in 2022-23, but in 2023-24, DiVincenzo took the starting spot from Grimes. A year ago, Knicks fans didn't want anything to do with a Grimes trade. DiVincenzo's arrival and ascension made a Grimes trade plausible.
His shooting sticks out most, but he's also disruptive on the defensive end. DiVincenzo said he's gotten the offensive green light from Tom Thibodeau because of his defense and rebounding. That green light has him on the cusp of making Knicks history again. He's made 234 threes in 2023-24 and is seven threes away from tying Evan Fournier's record of threes made in a single season.
Keep going, Donte. Don't pay attention to what Marc Berman says.