Knicks Star Denied Most Improved Player Award

The New York Knicks guard won't walk away with an award this season.

Apr 14, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) blocks a layup / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Working overtime didn't pay off for New York Knicks' Donte DiVincenzo, at least in one regard.

DiVincenzo is one of the primary reasons why the New York Knicks were able to build upon last year's 47-win season and playoff series win, setting career-highs in scoring (15.5 points per game) and three-point success rate (40.1 percent). The former Golden State Warrior is also the new holder of the Knicks' single-season record for most successful triples, hitting 283 (third in the NBA behind Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic) to pass Evan Fournier's output from the 2021-22 campaign.

All that and more should make DiVincenzo a shoo-in for Most Improved Player consideration, but he'll be long left behind when the top three contenders are named later this postseason: an NBA spokesperson confirmed to Chris Herring of ESPN that DiVincenzo won't be eligible for the title due to new participation caveats set forth by the league for this season.

Apr 7, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) drives against New / Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

Having partaken in 81 games (tied for the Knicks' lead with Josh Hart), DiVincenzo is well-past the threshold of 65 established by the Association. However, further clauses require award-worthy players to earn at least 20 minutes in the qualifying contests (or 63 games of at least 20 and at two more with at least 15).

The signer of a four-year, $46 million contract last summer, DiVincenzo became one of the busiest players in the NBA upon usurpsing Quentin Grimes as the Knicks' primary shooting guard: since the switch became permanent on Dec. 8, DiVincenzo has played 1,955 minutes, 10th-most in the Eastern Conference in the span. Of note, DiVincenzo played all but 30 seconds in the Knicks' regular season finale on Sunday, a 120-119 overtime win over the Chicago Bulls that locked up the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.

But DiVincenzo's muted presence in the early going ... averaging just over 20 minutes over his first 20 games in New York ... were just enough to remove him from consideration for the award. Utah's Lauri Markkanen beat out DiVincenzo's teammate Jalen Brunson for the title last season, two years after their fellow Knicks Julius Randle earned it.

To his credit, DiVincenzo took the mathematical rejection in stride as the Knicks prepared for their upcoming playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, who, ironically enough, boast the potential MIP favorite in Tyrese Maxey. The shooter jokingly expressed hope that he could become a trailblazer of sorts if the NBA opts to revisit the eligibility requirements, but his focus remains on the Knicks' showdown with the Sixers, which tips off on Saturday evening (6 p.m. ET, MSG/ESPN).

“I think the league will probably look at the rule going forward, but it’s not something where if I got the nine seconds, I’m a shoo-in to win the award,” DiVincenzo said, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. “It’s not that situation. So, for me, I don’t really care about it. I think going forward, you look at the rule. You adjust it accordingly and you just go from there and that’s pretty much the only thinking.”

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