A New York megastar by the end of the 2024 NBA postseason finally received the love and admiration of Minnesota basketball fans Sunday evening. As Donte DiVincenzo stood on the floor for a postgame, television interview, roars of “Donte! Donte! Donte!” reverberated throughout Target Center.

“It’s amazing,” DiVincenzo said as he soaked in the support. “This feels like home.”

Timberwolves fans know good basketball. And they witnessed the degree to which DiVincenzo produced it in Minnesota’s victory over San Antonio.

It wasn’t just the season-high 26 points on the strength of five three-point shots. It also was the seven rebounds, the four assists, the hustle displayed when the guard raced down the floor to deny Victor Wembanyama a home-run pass that was sure to end in a Spurs bucket in the game’s closing minutes.

Pace, hustle, creativity. DiVincenzo has hit 11 threes in total over the Timberwolves’ past two games, and has multiple made triples in each of the past six games. But his impact extends far beyond his jump shot at the moment. There were numerous times against the Spurs when the guard appeared to have the ball on a string, including a play in which he appeared to pull the ball out in transition, only to reverse course and blow by Spurs guard Keldon Johnson for a layup.

“It’s the stuff I work on,” DiVincenzo said. “I know what I can do. Everybody on the team knows what I can do.”

When DiVincenzo is rolling, the basketball is beautiful. It’s why he quickly became a fan favorite among Knicks fans during his one-year stop in New York. But Minnesota fans hadn’t gotten the chance to see that player much through the first two months of the current season, outside of a stellar preseason.

This, however, is the player Knicks fans saw in the latter half of last season, and the guy Wolves fans were hoping to get as a blue-chip piece in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade return.

“He’s stringing (performances) together right now,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “He’s giving us everything. He’s given us everything we knew he was with the rebounding and the shot-making and the smart play.”

What took him so long?

The Timberwolves’ brass lauded DiVincenzo as a “plug-and-play” guy who could seamlessly fit into any roster or system. That sentiment doesn’t necessarily account for a transitional period. DiVincenzo has always needed those in new landing spots. He immediately struggled out of the gates playing with Sacramento, Golden State and New York upon his arrival before hitting his stride.

The experience in Minnesota has been no different, though the transition has seemingly taken twice as long. That can rather easily be explained away by the timing of the trade, which took place just two days before the start of training camp.

“I was at home chilling,” DiVincenzo said. “Next thing I know, I’m on a flight going to Minnesota.”

That’s not easy. DiVincenzo was adamant he makes “no excuses” for himself, but added he had to give himself a personal grace period as he adapted to life in a new city with a new organization and offense. Not only did he have to learn new teammates and a new system, but he also had to learn a new metropolis and determine how his family would fit into it.

Beyond that, Wolves center Rudy Gobert sensed some lingering frustration from the trade, which is natural. There’s a resentment when you’re dealt from a place where you experienced such success.

“But when you want to succeed, you gotta let that go,” Gobert said. “I think now, from what I’m feeling, he’s finally present. He’s happy. He’s himself, and he’s in the moment. He’s able to have fun being who he is and be fully, mentally there.”

Now present, DiVincenzo looks like himself on the court. That, Gobert noted, means being a two-way player who’s always making the right play and knocking down key shots.

“That’s who he is,” Gobert said.

And everyone is finally getting to see it. DiVincenzo credited conversations with folks throughout the organization — from teammates to coaches and front office members — that gave him an “at-home feel.”

“That reassurance of, ‘Just go play. Don’t worry about anything else,’ ” he said. “Telling myself that. It’s one thing to have somebody else tell you, and then you’re in your own head, but get comfortable. Be yourself, get comfortable and whatever happens, happens. … Everybody in this locker room knows that we’re living with me shooting threes. I think that’s the most confidence you can have is knowing when I shoot the ball, everybody on the bench, on the court thinks it’s going in.”

And, more often than not at the moment, they’re correct. The adjustment period appears to be nearing it’s completion. Now, the good times are starting to roll.

“Everybody holds themselves to a high standard, so when it’s not going to that ability of what you know you’re capable of, it seems like the negative is worse than what it actually is,” DiVincenzo said. “For me, it’s just understanding that some games aren’t going to happen. You’re not going to have your night. But what can you hang your hat on? Making energy plays, doing the little things and giving yourself up to your teammates.

“Just understanding to take the good with the bad, because I know the tides will turn. And everybody here has the utmost confidence in me. So just going out and doing it. There’s no excuses to be had, just doing it.”

Originally Published: December 30, 2024 at 2:20 PM CST