Timberwolves' Donte DiVincenzo gamble is already paying off

Just hours before their season tipped off, the Minnesota Timberwolves tweaked their starting lineup, replacing Mike Conley with Donte DiVincenzo. While this move was overwhelmingly popular among Wolves fans, there's always some risk to changing your starting lineup.

12 games into the season, though, DiVincenzo has answered the call. The Villanova product is currently averaging 14.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 43.1/38.9/85.3 shooting splits. DiVincenzo is averaging 2.6 more points than last season while averaging 4.5 more minutes. Friday's game against the Sacramento Kings marked the third of the season in which DiVincenzo notched 20 or more points.

At the same time, Conley has taken another step back. The veteran point guard is averaging 6.3 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, on 42.3/48.6/100 shooting splits. Conley's high-IQ playmaking still provides some value, but he's a limited self-creator who's best utilized in a bench role at this stage of his career.

So far, this has been a brilliant decision from Chris Finch, and DiVincenzo is looking like the player he was in New York two years ago.

DiVincenzo has been a perfect fit in the Wolves' new look starting five

With DiVincenzo in the starting lineup, Minnesota is operating with a point guard by committee approach. This has empowered Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle as lead creators. DiVincenzo's floor spacing and off-ball abilities have been a seamless fit with this lineup.

Impressively, per Cleaning the Glass, the Wolves' starting lineup has the third-best efficiency differential of any lineup in the league. Likewise, this lineup is posting an absurd 131 offensive rating, which translates to first in the league.

I'm not saying the Wolves have already solved their point guard problem. However, this starting lineup is clearly effective, and given how capable of creators Edwards and Randle are, the need for a table setter like Conley isn't there.

While Conley is shooting a higher percentage from 3-point range, there's no denying DiVincenzo is a better overall shooter. Notably, DiVincenzo shoots 7.9 3s to Conley's 5.9 per game. Additionally, Conley is simply a spot-up shooter. Conversely, DiVincenzo is more dynamic; he can come off screens, cut, and create for himself. DiVincenzo is also shooting 66.7 percent at the rim compared to Conley's 33.3 percent.

Simply put, DiVincenzo gives the Wolves some much-needed extra juice, and he is helping a revitalized high-powered offense. As such, Minnesota ranked eighth in offensive rating last season and fourth this year.

Defensively, DiVincenzo isn't elite, but he offers more size and resistance at the perimeter. The Wolves' starting lineup posts a 107.6 defensive rating, which is far better than their overall 115 DRTG. Ultimately, DiVincenzo's skill set opens up more possibilities for the Wolves on both ends of the court, and it's safe to say this bold decision from Finch is already paying off massively.