Injuries were unquestionably the biggest reason for the Minnesota Timberwolves' struggles over the course of the last month. Just as this team was beginning to string some wins together and earned their first five-game winning streak of the season at the end of January, Julius Randle was forced to the sideline due to a groin injury.
Complicating matters was the fact that Donte DiVincenzo was already out of the Wolves' lineup with a toe issue. Minnesota's depth obviously took a huge hit, and multiple younger guys got their chance to make an impact. The result was the Timberwolves' rotation becoming that much deeper with several lesser-experienced players now having more NBA playing time under their belts.
Terrence Shannon Jr., Rob Dillingham and Jaylen Clark all bring unique talents to the floor, and each of them can be useful in an NBA setting. With that said, there are some things the veterans like Donte and Julius bring to the table that simply cannot be easily replaced. DiVincenzo, for example, carries with him positively elite floor spacing ability with his knack for nailing shots from deep. This was on full display in the Timberwolves' win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.
Donte DiVincenzo took 3s on all of these possessions
— Jace frederick (@JaceFrederick) March 3, 2025
“Exaggerated spacing”
… pretty valuable thing to add back into the lineup https://t.co/HQmSqUxAMK pic.twitter.com/321kZ5XtdE
The Timberwolves are different with DiVincenzo's elite floor spacing
Jace Frederick of the St. Paul Pioneer Press pointed out just how beneficial Donte's presence was for the Timberwolves offense in this game. Using screenshots from the broadcast, he shows numerous instances where DiVincenzo is positioned around 30 feet from the basket. He notes that Donte attempted threes on all these possessions where he begins far outside the three-point line. There is no exaggerating just how big of a game-changer this is for Minnesota.
Having a player that the defense has to respect from this distance opens up so many things for your offense. From taking pressure off drivers and creating more room to operate for the likes of Anthony Edwards to giving you an elite shooter to hit on drive-and-kick plays and so many other things, DiVincenzo is positively irreplaceable for the Timberwolves.
It is no wonder Minnesota's play was up-and-down in his absence, and we are seeing the benefits of having him back in the lineup immediately. This team's ceiling is undeniably higher with Donte's unique individual talent on the floor, and his play will be paramount as they look to make a push in the final six weeks of the season.