Prior to the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves decided to accept a blockbuster trade and send their four-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks. In return, the Wolves received forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo.
So far, the clear winner of the trade was the Knicks.
Randle has been pretty much as advertised on offense, but defensively he hasn’t gotten any better. DiVincenzo hasn’t played to his potential either.
Due to neither player really playing to their expected standard, it has resulted in a lackluster season for Minnesota. There were high expectations for them coming into this season, but they’ve yet to gain much team chemistry. Most of their issues stems from their stagnant offensive play.
In a recent game against the Golden State Warriors, DiVincenzo had his best game yet in a Timberwolves jersey, scoring a season-high 19 points off the bench.
Throughout his struggles this season, DiVincenzo has still had continuous support from his teammates. In a recent locker room interview, he mentioned how the support he has been receiving from Wolves star Anthony Edwards has helped him deal with his struggles.
“When you have someone as talented as Ant in your corner and hyping you up every single chance, you have to hone that in and you have to build off of that. Because that’s not normal to have a superstar of the team really embrace you as a person and a player,” DiVincenzo said.
More than ever before, Edwards has been letting his voice be heard loud and clear all season. He has been vocal in terms of calling his teammates out for being soft. He has also been showcasing true leadership qualities that became noticeable after he turned team criticism into a leadership moment about a month ago.
All of his efforts have been an attempt to help his teammates find their confidence and play better team basketball. Hopefully his efforts can be rewarded with more team wins moving forward.
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