The worm is starting to turn for Donte DiVincenzo, just as he always suspected it might.

DiVincenzo was a coveted piece coming to Minnesota in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. A two-way sharpshooter who played near a superstar level in the playoffs, with a great contract to boot, DiVincenzo was thought to be the solution for much of the Timberwolves’ shortcomings.

He gave Minnesota shooting, playmaking and wing depth. Perfect.

The problem early this season was the shooting didn’t make the trip to Minnesota.

Through 25 games, DiVincenzo was hitting just 32% of his 3-point attempts. He was averaging nearly two turnovers per game through his first 19 contests.

Nothing was going right. It was all a far cry from the version of DiVincenzo that finished last season in New York. But the guard noted earlier this month that he wasn’t that player early last season, either.

It was a shorter acclimation period, but one certainly existed. Through 11 games in New York, DiVincenzo shot … 32% from distance. And he turned the ball over too much.

“It’s funny that this conversation last year, the Most Improved (Player of the Year) stuff — you look at the start of last year, I wasn’t playing that much,” DiVincenzo said. “I hadn’t earned (Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s) trust at that point yet. I wasn’t playing in a rhythm yet. I was just in a different system that was really, really fast paced (in Golden State the year prior), and I went (to New York) and it was a little bit slower.”

It’s a trend for DiVincenzo, who’s been a bit of a nomad thus far in his NBA career, bouncing from city to city, season after season.

He spent the 2022-23 campaign in Golden State, where he had a successful year that, again, started rocky. Through his first 18 games of that season, he shot … 32% from distance. DiVincenzo was traded to Sacramento from Milwaukee midway through the 2021-22 season. In his first 11 games with the Kings, he shot … 33% from distance.

Acclimation is natural, and clearly a process which a player like DiVincenzo — who is so rhythm-based — needs to endure before prospering. That can be frustrating for all involved, but the pain appears to be short-term when changing scenery.

“It’s part of the business, and there’s an understanding of what you bring to the team. But what I can control is how I approach every day,” DiVincenzo said two weeks ago. “Don’t go into a hole just because things aren’t working well. People have expectations of how the season ended last year individually, that doesn’t necessarily just pick up like that. Everybody wants it, I want it, but when you’re playing with a whole new team, new fan base, new organization (that’s a change), so just staying with it and trusting my work, knowing I’m putting in the work every single day. It’ll turn.”

It just may be. DiVincenzo buried six triples in Minnesota’s miraculous come-from-behind victory Friday in Houston en route to a season-high 22 points. Over his last five games, he’s shooting 48% from 3-point range. This, finally, looks more like the player the Wolves hoped they’d acquired in September.

“He’s letting the game come to him,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “He’s getting out in transition, he’s doing a lot of good things. He’s rebounding the ball for us, too. It’s great to see. This actually started a few games ago, it hasn’t been just the last two games. He’s been playing with a good rhythm, whether he has or hasn’t made shots.”

Related Articles

Timberwolves erase 15-point deficit in final five minutes to steal victory in Houston on Anthony Edwards’ late 3

Jace Frederick: Timberwolves are tinkering with mixed lineup combinations

Timberwolves hold on late, avoid Christmas Day collapse with win in Dallas

Timberwolves’ offensive issues persist in loss to Hawks

Jace Frederick: Officiating comments show Anthony Edwards’ frustration is mounting as Timberwolves’ offensive struggles continue