As a first impression, this wasn’t the result Donte DiVincenzo wanted for his Knicks debut.
The key addition to the roster over the summer, Divincenzo was held scoreless in 15 minutes of action in Wednesday’s 108-104 loss to the Celtics at the Garden.
DiVincenzo, a 36.2 percent shooter for his career from 3-point range, was signed to a four-year deal worth $46.9 million this past offseason to provide a floor spacer, in place of traded former first-round pick Obi Toppin, in coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
But DiVincenzo missed all four of his shot attempts against the Celtics, including three from beyond the arc.
“Obviously, I know there’s going to be a different type of energy, regular-season game, Boston, all the moves they made in the offseason,” DiVincenzo had said before the game. “We’ve had a lot of time to prepare for the game.
“Honestly, I’m excited just to get the train moving. Not looking too far ahead, but at the same time it’s a long season. So just get those early jitters out and keep it moving.”
DiVincenzo has been the new guy before, joining the four-time NBA champion Warriors one year ago.
The former Villanova star — one of four of those now on the roster after signing as a free agent — drew on that Golden State experience to quell the anticipation for his first season with the Knicks.
“I think in a weird way, it’s the third team in two seasons, if you will. I was kind of used to trying to be the new guy, getting acclimated,” DiVincenzo said. “But this team, coaching staff, front office, everybody’s done a great job of making me feel like I’ve been on the team for a long time.
“And it does help when you have former teammates, former college teammates, and you also have other guys that don’t have egos, don’t have anything to do with no drama. Just all about getting better, having fun and playing as one unit. That makes it easy. They help me with little things I see and that’s it.”
DiVincenzo won two NCAA titles alongside Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, with Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono joining them on the Wildcats’ 2016 championship squad.
The 26-year-old DiVincenzo averaged 8.5 points in 23.0 minutes per game in four preseason appearances, connecting on 6 of 19 (31.5 percent) from long distance. But he’s coming off his best season from beyond the arc, making 39.7 percent of his attempts over 72 games with the Warriors.
“Honestly for me it sounds kind of cliché and corny, but it’s just to keep getting better,” said DiVincenzo, who won an NBA championship ring as a member of the Bucks in 2021. “To be real with you, last year I looked at the percentage of shooting [from] 3-point [range], I ended up right at that 40-plus, but there’s a lot of shots that I took that weren’t necessarily good ones.
“Taking good shots, being efficient … for me it’s to keep getting better in that aspect.”