The New York Knicks have been receiving great value out of Donte DiVincenzo all season, but it has been especially apparent amidst the team’s recent injury plague.
DiVincenzo scored 36 points on 13-27 shooting (7-12 from three-point distance) on Thursday against the Mavericks. The Knicks were unable to win the game, largely because they had just eight healthy players, but the silver lining is that DiVincenzo’s red-hot streak is continuing.
Donte DiVincenzo has taken his game to a whole new level
Over his last six games, the sharpshooter is averaging 29.2 points on 47% shooting from the field and 42% from three-point range. The injuries to the team have given DiVincenzo more touches and shot opportunities, and he has taken full advantage.
“It’s cool to put the ball in the hoop, but what’s better is when we have everybody back and that ball is moving around and everybody ends up with 15-20 [points],” said DiVincenzo via SNY.
The Knicks were without Jalen Brunson on Thursday, and have been without Julius Randle and OG Anunoby for the past two weeks. They likely won’t have Randle and Anunoby back until after the All-Star break, and on top of that, they haven’t had center Mitchell Robinson since December.
DiVincenzo’s shooting leap has been paramount to the Knicks continuing their winning ways despite the absence of several key players. The Knicks are 4-2 since Randle and Anunoby went down.
Injuries were key to the Knicks deadline approach
With the injuries piling up, the Knicks took an aggressive approach to the trade deadline, picking up shooters Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons to make New York one of the deepest teams in the league at full strength.
In the meantime, those guys will serve as reinforcements until the team gets healthier, which will hopefully happen not too long after the All-Star break. If DiVincenzo continues to play how he has been of late, the Knicks can stay afloat near the top of the Eastern Conference and be ready to make a deep title run when they return to full health.
The Knicks will have their next game on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers, where they are hopeful that Brunson, Burks, and Bogdanovic will be available. DiVincenzo will also look to continue his hot shooting as they head into the All-Star break.
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