Donte DiVincenzo isn't guaranteed to return this season for the Minnesota Timberwolves—but he is certainly working hard to make sure he does. Of course, the 29-year-old is rehabbing the unfortunate torn Achilles he suffered in Game 4 of the first-round of last season's playoffs against the Denver Nuggets.
DiVincenzo returning at some point this season is looking more likely, though. He said so himself at the Timberwolves’ Media Day on Monday, and Tim Connelly, the president of basketball operations, sounds confident it would happen.
"Donte (DiVincenzo) looks great,”Connelly said. “As you guys all know, Donte attacks everything like he attacks the court. I thought our medical staff and his agents did a great job of quickly getting it addressed. He was under the knife 24 hours after the surgery. He looks as good as we'd hoped. We don't want to put any added pressure on him, but we're cautious and optimistic that we're going to see Donte this season, and we know how much he brings to our team."
DiVincenzo likely won’t be quite himself when he first returns, but he has a better chance than most at becoming at least close to the player he was soon after he is back on the floor.
DiVincenzo’s game isn’t based on athleticism
Compared to someone like Jayson Tatum—who returned late last season from the same injury—DiVincenzo’s game isn’t predicated as much on athleticism. That may give him a better chance of being close to the same player if he can return this year.
That’s not saying Tatum wasn’t good when he returned because he was, just not at the perennial first-team All-NBA level he’s been at for years. DiVincenzo is a much lower usage player, and his high rate of 3-point attempts has risen even higher during his first two seasons with Minnesota. In four straight seasons, at least 70 percent of his field goal attempts have come from 3-point territory, including a career-high 77.4 percent in 2025-26.
DiVincenzo won’t have the ball in his hands often to create his own shot. A whopping 90.6 percent of his 3-point makes came off an assist last season. Someone who pulls up or needs to create his own 3-point looks will be affected more coming back from an Achilles injury than someone who spots up.
On a team with Jaden McDaniels, DiVincenzo won’t be asked to guard the opposition’s best perimeter player once he returns. The Timberwolves have enough capable defenders, so DiVincenzo can be asked to guard the least dangerous player on the floor. Lateral quickness can be affected after an Achilles injury, but DiVincenzo didn’t exactly possess elite lateral quickness before his injury.
DiVincenzo will have time to ramp up, and there shouldn't be as much pressure on him now that he is no longer in their starting lineup. LaMelo Ball will now share the backcourt with Anthony Edwards.
There's no timetable for when DiVincenzo will return to the floor. The regular season ends on June 11, two weeks shy of a year since he suffered the injury. Tatum returned after 298 days, this could slate DiVincenzo for a return around the All-Star break. Still, not every return comes within the same timeframe.
Let's hope his return comes at the Target Center, because the ovation for DiVincenzo when he first comes back on the court will be rousing.
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