Last season, Donte DiVincenzo was a key part of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ run to the Western Conference Finals. However, before that, the former Villanova sharpshooter was a fan favorite in New York. Until the Knicks decided to include him in the trade package for Karl-Anthony Towns. Afterwards, an uneasy incident with Rick Brunson during the preseason left many wondering if there was bad blood between the Knicks management and DiVincenzo. However, that isn’t the case.

The Timberwolves star did clear the air around his verbal conflict with Jalen Brunson’s father– he stated that he was talking to then-Knicks head coach, Tim Thibodeau. Now, The Athletic’s writer, Fred Katz, has revealed that the 28-year-old not only has no conflict with Tim Thibodeau and Co., but even loves the veteran coach more than you could possibly think of. Katz, during his recent appearance on The Ringer NBA Show, talked about the guard’s relationship with Thibodeau.

However, what impressed everyone the most was what Donte DiVincenzo did after being traded to Minnesota. “Every year, The Athletic does an anonymous player poll, and one of the questions always is ‘Which coach would you least like to play for?’ And this year, we changed the question to, ‘Who do you think is the worst coach?’” Katz said. The writer explained how Thibs was the common name taken by players during the earlier version of the question.

Which isn’t a huge surprise, given that Thibodeau is notoriously well-known around the league for overworking his players. However, the new question asked the players who they thought was the worst coach in the league. Amid this, DiVincenzo was already in Minnesota and knew that, given Thibs’ reputation, many players would name him as the worst. However, according to Katz, the 28-year-old was not going to let any disrespect slide. In fact, he was ready to fight his new teammates if that’s what it took.

“When it was [the earlier version of the question], Thibs would win that poll. So apparently, this year when the Minnesota players were filling the poll when Donte was already on Minnesota, Donte would follow around the reporters who would take the answers.” Katz narrated. “And when it got to the coach question, Donte would be like, ‘You mother—-r. You better not say Tom Thibodeau, he’s the fu**ing best.’ Like he was gatekeeping Thibs like that guy loves Thibs.”

According to the Athletic’s writer, DiVincenzo would follow the reporters around and when the coach question came up, he warned his teammates from take Tim Thibodeau’s name. This left Anthony Edwards and the rest of the T-Wolves players with no choice but to sacrifice their rights to maintain a positive locker room atmosphere. That’s some insane love for the former Knicks HC. More so because DiVincenzo only played one season for the Knicks

Nonetheless, it seems like, despite the short time working together, the former NBA champ built a great relationship with Thibs. Meanwhile, it also looks like the entire Timberwolves roster is over this incident, as they gear up for another blockbuster season which could bring in a new role for the shooting guard in particular.

Timberwolves to count on young players to allow Donte DiVincenzo to play his natural game

Last season was a solid first year with the Minnesota Timberwolves for Donte DiVincenzo. The 28-year-old shooting guard wrapped up the campaign averaging 11.7 points along with 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists. Not too bad for a debut season, right? Yes. However, there’s still room for improvement, as the Wolves did not utilize DiVincenzo to his utmost potential. For those who are wondering what that means. Well, DiVincenzo played a more on-the-ball role last season, something he’s not the best at.

Instead, the shooting guard thrives on playing off the ball and shooting threes. That’s why it seems like Chris Finch and Co. will be looking for some assistance from their young players, such as Rob Dillingham and Terrance Shannon Jr. However, to make the most of Donte DiVincenzo’s skillset, both these youngsters will have to be ready to clock in decent minutes every night.

So, are they ready? Well, Dillingham is well-equipped for this role.

The six-foot-one guard can not only create shots for himself, but also is good at generating rim pressure. Meanwhile, Shannon also showed glimpses of his potential last season and is a skilled shot creator. This indicates that the Timberwolves are all set to unleash a new version of Donte DiVincenzo on the floor this season, as they also continue to develop their young core by giving Dillingham and Shannon Jr. more playing time.