Late first round pick Donte DiVincenzo missed 55 games this past season and appeared in only 27 games for the Bucks but he was part of Mike Budenholzer’s rotation off the bench and will look to earn a defined role on the Bucks. I wrote an article about Milwaukee moving Milwaukee but I just can’t see him going to Golden State,New York, or Miami which will be likely destinations for him if he does indeed decide he won’t re-sign with the Milwaukee Bucks. Some
believe if Giannis does not make the Finals or win a ring by the summer of 2021 that he will bolt elsewhere or possibly ask for a trade which I think he will not do.
Giannis could adopt Davis’s mentality and be sure he won’t sign the super-max which will be offered to him the moment Jon Horst could get him to sign on the dotted line but he strikes me as superstar that wants to bring winning back to the Milwaukee Bucks. The last time I ever remember the Bucks being relevant was when Ray Allen was the franchise player and they made it past the first round, I remember the Michael Redd era as well, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,Oscar Robertson, Sidney Moncrief, and now Giannis Antetokoumpo. Why would Giannis just want to be another superstar who just washed out or got traded away the same way Ray Allen got traded for Desmond Mason and Gary Payton? Ray Allen is a hall-of-famer and possibly the greatest 3 point shooter of all-time but he does not have Giannis Antetokoumpo’s physical dominance and play-making ability.
That is why I feel he will stick around in Milwaukee long-term, why have to go to another big-market or join a superstar when you have an organization which is invested in putting the right pieces around you to compete for a title? Most would think but man Giannis does not have a sidekick like LeBron,Kawhi,Harden,Curry,or Embiid because Middleton in all reality is a borderline all-star and a tier 3 player in the NBA. He can defend at a high level and provide floor spacing, at 6’8 he can play the shooting guard,small-forward, and some small ball 4 if needed. Not knowing to be a shot creator and neither is Bledsoe which was something that the Raptors exposed in the Conference Finals,they sagged off Giannis and he couldn’t make jumpshots consistently. So they opt to not match Malcolm Brogdon’s offer sheet and I think to myself so they give Khris Middleton a $178 million deal over 5 years, let Brogdon go who was arguably their second best player last season and they are supposed to be on the uptick? Keep reading.
Malcolm Brogdon was 50/40/90 all of last season and a very important piece to Bud’s offense and defense. He can switch onto bigger guards and small-forwards and is a terrific on ball and off-ball defender, at 6’5 he was a really good passer and ball handler and man it sure hurt to lose him if you are Milwaukee but that is why you drafted Donte DiVincenzo. 6’4 203 out of Villanova, NCAA Champion and scored over 30 in a huge game in the Final Four. What does that tell me he can step up under pressure and boy can he shoot the ball. At 6’4 he is undersized for his position, he is not the athlete Dwyane Wade was at 6’4 but has a very similar skill-set to Devin Booker and CJ McCollum who are two of the most complete scoring guards in the NBA, they won’t be flying over the top of anyone through traffic but they use their one on one skills in isolation to score a lot like Donte does.
What makes Donte DiVincenzo so interesting is his motor on defense, he utilizes his athleticism and chases ball-handlers up the floor and can recover for a swat at the rim, by no means am I saying he will be an All-NBA defender next season but he seemed to be a very good running mate with Giannis. With Giannis being an open floor player who likes to rebound and push the ball up the floor Giannis will not have a more better option to get the ball to than Donte DiVincenzo, sure Wesley Matthews and Kyle Korver can knock down some 3’s but Giannis will have to set them up since they aren’t known to be one on one scorers. Middleton and Bledsoe can get their own offense but its not their bread and butter, Donte DiVincenzo is legitimate perimeter scorer, he has exceptional ball handling and knows how to dribble his way through pesky defenders and finish at the rim with his right or left.
He can move off the ball and come off screens and shoot, he can be relied on by Giannis on dribble hand-offs where Giannis could bring the ball up the floor pass it off to Donte and Giannis could set him a screen so Donte can attack the basket. I look at Bledsoe and he’s more of a guard that Giannis can get the ball to to make plays for others and finish at the rim, Khris Middleton can be caught on kick-outs to the perimeter by Giannis or Bledsoe, and with Donte DiVincenzo out there it gives the Bucks an extra shot creator beyond Giannis. Donte DiVincenzo will be a very solid combo guard who can run point and score the ball at the same time for the Bucks. Sometimes stacking together one superstar with another is not always the right move, I can see why the Bucks elected to not bring back Brogdon since Donte will be able to do everything he did and more. Let’s face Brogdon will not be a better scorer than Donte down the line, he does not have a scorer’s mentality like Donte DiVicenzo and that is exactly what the Bucks need right now.
To conclude they have the shooters to compliment Giannis in Lopez,Korver,Middleton,Brown, and Matthews and shoot throw Hill in there since he isn’t too bad of a shooter and a seasoned veteran. The x-factor is Donte DiVincenzo, I don’t know if Bud will come across my article or maybe he sees it with his own eyers through training camp and pre-season that giving Donte DiVincenzo minutes early on is a must, he is the best all-around guard they have on the roster. He can make plays for others,space the floor out, play defense, and score off the dribble, that is exactly the type of running mate Giannis needs. Let me know what you guys think, the sky is the limit for Donte DiVincenzo.
D-NBA 