BOSTON — There’s an expectation, fair or not, that Donte DiVincenzo’s presence will elevate the Knicks to a higher level.
It comes with the territory of being the club’s lone offseason acquisition.
How did Leon Rose make the Knicks better in the summer? DiVincenzo can be the only answer.
That’s a tough spot for a role player who won’t have the ball much.
But DiVincenzo, the $50 million backup guard, said there’s actually less pressure in New York than during last season with the Warriors.
“I don’t view it as pressure. One, I’m fortunate and thankful to have some stability, to be on a team now on a four-year deal. I can settle down and calm down,” DiVincenzo said. “Last year I’m essentially on a one-year deal. Your anxiety, that’s more pressure. And you’re playing — when you’re playing with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and Draymond [Green], what they’ve done, that’s pressure.”
It’s sound logic from the 26-year-old.
When a player can’t secure a big guarantee after his rookie contract — which happened to DiVincenzo with the two-year, $9.5 million deal from the Warriors — there’s always concern his NBA career is teetering on kaput.
But DiVincenzo re-energized his value with a strong showing in Golden State, pushing his 3-point efficiency to a career-best 40 percent.
Rose’s $50 million offer followed.
The reports from training camp have been all positive.
“I knew that it’d be good. I knew the team was gonna love him,” Josh Hart said. “There’s no surprise that they took a liking to him quickly.”
DiVincenzo’s other strength, beyond the shooting, is perimeter defense.
The Knicks hope his addition will boost a disappointing 19th-ranked defense last season.
“We want to be a top-10 defensive team and I think we have the pieces to do it,” DiVincenzo revealed Tuesday.
It’s a realistic mark and noteworthy because the Knicks typically don’t publicly discuss their statistical goals.
DiVincenzo, interestingly, wasn’t always considered a great individual defender.
He was more of a team-defense guy.
But that changed during his 1 ½ seasons sharing a Bucks backcourt with Jrue Holiday, a perennial defensive stalwart who faced the Knicks on Tuesday as the new Celtics point guard.
“[Holiday] helped me on and off the court. The way, you know, studying the game on the defensive end and honestly learning little things that you don’t necessarily learn from coaches at the college level and all that,” DiVincenzo said. “Everything can be scripted, but when you’re talking to one of the best on-ball defenders in the league you pick up certain things. And I found what works for me and I’m still learning.”
DiVincenzo grew close enough to Holiday to take his advice on hiring an agent, Jason Glushon.
“We’re with the same agent. When I was going through that process and I reached out, he knew exactly what type of guy I was looking for,” DiVincenzo said.
Glushon then helped secure DiVincenzo’s $50 million deal, the contract that has helped alleviate some pressure from basketball.
“Also, [there’s less pressure] with the type of team we are. It’s a younger team,” DiVincenzo added. “When I say younger, mid-20s and everything, but it’s a different dynamic on the team. So, I don’t think it’s pressure. I think it’s actually more fun to try to go play with that chip on my shoulder.”
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