The Minnesota Timberwolves lost their former franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns after nine seasons but gained Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle in a trade with the New York Knicks. While KAT’s departure hurts their frontline long-range shooting, DiVincenzo’s arrival enhances their backcourt’s shooting skills.
Advertisement
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce declared that the Timberwolves won the trade with the Knicks after adding Randle and DiVincenzo during the All The Smoke’s ‘KG Certified’ pod. Pierce was impressed with the Villanova product during the 2023-24 season as he hit the career-high scoring mark of 15.5 points per game and was third in the NBA among total threes made with 282.
After the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges, DDV was supposed to come off the bench, but that didn’t sit well with Pierce because he thought that the sharpshooting guard deserved to start because of his two-way prowess.
He likes DiVincenzo’s fit with 2024 All-Defensive Second Team forward Jaden McDaniels at the Wing as both of them are terrific perimeter defenders. Garnett co-signed his buddy’s thoughts and also believed that DiVincenzo can lift the Timberwolves’ profile further. He said,
“In all honesty, I think Minnesota won the trade because I love DiVincenzo. He is a dawg, he a dawg. I walked away from last year, watching him, like, he is a starter in the league and he not gonna start on the Knicks. I’m like Minnesota got two starters [Randle, DDV] for one [KAT], and they lost some depth and I’m like shoot that’s just what the doctor ordered. Some toughness at the Wing, to go with [Jaden Mc] Daniels. He lights out been killing in the preseason.”
Pierce is on point about DiVincenzo’s preseason heroics. In four contests, he put up 12.25 points per game while making 10 out of 23 attempts (43.4% FG) from the three-point line. There is a high chance that he may eclipse the heroics of the 2023-24 season with them.
While KAT was instrumental during the Timberwolves’ historic Western Conference finals last season, DiVincenzo was also on fire during the postseason.
DiVincenzo was the X-Factor for Knicks.
Last season, DDV kept the Knicks afloat as they lost OG Anunoby during the postseason after playing without Randle for the second half of the Regular Season. During the playoffs, he expanded his offensive arsenal and became more than just a three-point shooter.
DiVincenzo tallied 17.8 points per game while shooting 41.9% from the field and made 3.5 triples a game on an impressive 42.5% shooting. During the Semis against the Pacers, he put up 25 points or more in four of seven games, including two 30+ points performances. His hustle also enabled the Knicks to make a strong playoff push.
He is also one of the best corner three-point shooters in the league. DDV made 86 triples from either corner last season, which was the second-best effort behind Malik Beasley. He also has one of the fastest releases and made the league-best 253 triples on a touch-time of 0-2 seconds.
The Knicks would dearly miss someone who could knock down the corner shot without hesitation and helped them become difficult to guard from all the angles on the floor. But the Knicks’ loss in the Timberwolves’ gain.
DiVincenzo can benefit from Mike Conley’s passing skills and Anthony Edwards’ penetration which will open up the corner for him. Rudy Gobert’s screen setting will free up a ton of space, which will make DDV nearly unstoppable from long-range.
Additionally, his elite defensive coverage will help sustain the Timberwolves’ top-notch defense from last year. During the 2023-24 season, they had the league’s best defensive rating of 108.4. However, often, things look excellent on paper but may not necessarily translate on the court.
Last season, the Wolves finished third in the Western Conference standings and made the WCF push because of KAT’s two-way play. Towns is the best shooting big man in the league, and it is difficult to replace him.
It remains to be seen whether the Timberwolves or the Knicks won the trade.
