When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Donte DiVincenzo Through the offseason, many thought he would grow to be Anthony Edwards’ operating mate within the backcourt. As an alternative, Chris Finch caught with a 37 12 months previous man Mike Conley within the beginning lineup for a lot of the first 34 video games of 2024-25 till he lastly cracked on Jan. 6 and gave followers what they wished to see.
Finch began DiVincenzo over Conley in opposition to the Los Angeles Clippers, a transfer that led to a 108-106 victory. Unsurprisingly, after the sport, Finch was requested concerning the lineup change. He casually defined that he really made the choice based mostly on public opinion.
“I simply learn all of the papers,” Finch instructed Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “And [from] what everybody instructed me and mentioned, [I thought] you realize what, shit, I ought to change the beginning lineup.
DiVincenzo performed 31 minutes within the sport, scoring 15 factors and including 9 rebounds. He has now reached double figures in eight of his final 10 video games after a tough begin to the 12 months.
DiVincenzo and Julius Randle had been traded to Minnesota from the New York Knicks in an offseason commerce involving Karl-Anthony Cities. The seventh-year guard broke out for the Knicks in 2023-24, averaging a career-high 15.5 factors per sport and taking pictures 40.1% from deep. He began the whole second half of the season and averaged over 20 factors per sport over the ultimate three months of the 12 months.
Chris Finch appears to show Timberwolves’ season round with Donte DiVincenzo-Mike Conley beginning lineup change
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Whether or not or not Finch revealed his true ideas, change was imminent. Thirty-five video games into the common season, the Timberwolves are simply 18-17, a far cry from the place most thought they might be within the preseason after reaching the Finals. the 2024 Western Convention.
On paper, inserting DiVincenzo into the Timberwolves’ beginning lineup offers extra scoring and taking pictures than Conley. A lot criticism has been leveled at Anthony Edwards regardless of the staff’s lack of constant complementary scoring. Finch made the transfer one sport later Edwards accounted for 50 p.c of the staff’s level complete in a 14-point loss to the Detroit Pistons.
Regardless, Edwards, because the staff’s main scorer, took probably the most blame. But over the staff’s final two video games, the outspoken 23-year-old has racked up a mixed 90 factors as he desperately tries to maintain his staff above .500.
Randle was the first asset acquired by Minnesota in change for Cities. He was the staff’s second-highest scorer however regressed in his eleventh season. The ahead averages 19.6 factors per sport, virtually 5 factors lower than in 2023-2024.
In a small pattern dimension, the Timberwolves at the moment are 1-2 in three video games with DiVincenzo beginning. Nonetheless, they’re additionally a barely higher 9-5 in video games the place he takes 10 or extra photographs.
