NBA: 10 most underrated performers of the season so far

4. Donte DiVincenzo

Donte DiVincenzo is becoming one of the most integral players in this elite Milwaukee Buck’s rotation. DiVincenzo is playing 22.9 minutes per game and is bringing maximum effort in each and each one of those minutes. I think his role on this team could be comparable to Matthew Dellevadova on the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers. While DiVincenzo is certainly more skilled than Dellevadova, he brings similar intangibles to the table.

As we now know Dellevadova had a huge impact on the 2015-16 NBA finals and played a key part in the Cavaliers taking home the Larry O’Brien Trophy that season. I think that DiVincenzo could play a similar role and could have possibly an even bigger impact on the Bucks playoff run this year. If the Bucks want to win the 2020 NBA championship, they will rely on DiVincenzo to bring consistent effort on both ends of the floor and to knock down shots when it counts.

While it seems like a high standard to hold your eighth or ninth man in your rotation to, it’s necessary for a team primed for a finals run to have that level of trust in all their players. DiVincenzo has proved in the past that he is a high-level performer in clutch situations (see the 2018 NCAA championship game), and the Bucks will need that version of DiVincenzo to shine through if they want to finally break through and win Giannis Antetokounmpo his first (of likely many) NBA championship.