Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players facing most pressure in 2019-20
By Jordan Foote
3. Donte DiVincenzo
Selected with the 17th overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft, Donte DiVincenzo had an up-and-down rookie season. Scoring just one point in 27 NBA Summer League minutes, things got off to a rocky start.
The Villanova product’s role with the Bucks wasn’t clear, and it didn’t exactly become much more defined by the end of the year.
Drafted to serve as a potential 3-and-D option off the bench, DiVincenzo shot a paltry 26.5 percent from 3-point range last season. Battling injuries throughout the year, the challenge of putting together a healthy initial campaign proved to be too much for him.
On the other hand, DiVincenzo posted one of the best defensive ratings among guards last season and rebounded at a rate of 5.7 per 36 minutes.
Putting the ball in the basket at a 68 percent clip on non-3s, there’s some reason to believe the 22-year-old’s efficiency will see an uptick in year two.
Because he’s on a contending team, there isn’t a ton of pressure on Donte DiVincenzo to make a huge leap in his second NBA season.
Heading into the year healthy, it’s not unreasonable to expect an increase in both efficiency and possibly minutes played for the youngest member of Milwaukee’s backcourt.