Knicks Star Confident in Tom Thibodeau's "Next Step"
As the New York Knicks change, Donte DiVincenzo believes the familiarity created over a sterling season will help them press forward.
With personnel changes reportedly permeating the Knicks' roster, Donte DiVincenzo offered a vote of confidence in head coach Tom Thibodeau's ability to handle them, lauding his latest NBA boss in a report from Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.
"Whatever team we have, I think we’re going to be very good,” DiVincenzo said at an event for Revo Sunglasses in Soho. “No matter what happens the rest of the offseason, I think overall everybody is going to come back and get better."
"I think with (Thibs), there’s always a foundation, it doesn’t matter who is on the court. No matter who is on the team, I think we got a sense and we got a taste of what we can do and how we can take that next step and I think every single person in the organization is going to do everything they can to take that next step.”
While many Knicks would likely be willing to stick their neck out for Thibodeau at this point, DiVincenzo's endorsement probably means a little something more considering what has transpired in this early summer: New York is set to acquire DiVincenzo's collegiate teammate and Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges, whose arrival (not to mention the returns of injured starting staples OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson) would potentially remove DiVincenzo from the starting five.
That's currently of no consequence to DiVincenzo, who offered answers about his rotational status when the Knicks reconvene for training camp this fall. Instead, he lauded the return of Robinson and Anunoby's new contract, reports of which emerged shortly after news of the Bridges deal broke.
“You have to appreciate the situation we’re in as players. Everybody is happy for each other. Everybody wants to see everybody get paid,” DiVincenzo told Bondy. “I think every time you see somebody sign a new deal, it brings up memories of how you felt when you signed your deal.”
Signing DiVincenzo, formerly of Milwaukee and Golden State, was the headlining move of the Knicks' prior summer, one that saw the former Villanova Wildcat sign a four-year, $46.8 million contract. DiVincenzo rewarded that faith by stepping into the starting lineup for an ineffective Quentin Grimes and setting a new Knicks single-season record with 283 successful three-pointers.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks