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With Milwaukee’s 2018 NBA Draft officially in the books, we’re now staring into a future filled with way too many Ragu references after the selection of Donte DiVincenzo. We’ve already dove deep on whether it was a good, bad or ugly choice as well as some of his strengths/weaknesses, but you shouldn’t just take our word for it. We rounded up a number of the hot takes from the draftniks across the internet to see what they thought of Milwaukee’s selection.
Sporting News: C+
Shooting guard in Milwaukee has proven to be a black hole, where players — Rashad Vaughn, Tony Snell, O.J. Mayo — go in but are seldom heard from again. DiVincenzo was chosen by the Bucks with the 17th pick to change all that.
It’s been said that DiVincenzo’s status as a mid-first-rounder all came because he had one great game, 31 points in the NCAA championship win, but that’s one more great game than D.J. Wilson had when the Bucks drafted him last year.
CBS Sports: A-
“The Michael Jordan of Delaware” is ready to step in and be a shooter. And next to playmaking forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, he could play point guard or shooting guard. He’ll join Malcolm Brogdon in that role and has more offensive upside. He’s a playmaker with confidence who also can take a lot of roles.
The Ringer: A
The Michael Jordan of Delaware is taking his talents to Milwaukee. DiVincenzo shot up draft boards after his breakout performance in the national title game, but the talent was always there. This is a great situation for him: He’s a microwave scorer who will be a perfect complement to Giannis Antetokounmpo. The worry with DiVincenzo is that he’s a gunner with the size of a point guard, but that’s not as big a concern when he’s knocking down 3s off kick-out passes from a 7-foot point center.
Sports Illustrated: B+
This is a pretty nice fit for Milwaukee, who have preferred to surround Giannis Antetokounmpo with combo guards that can shoot the three. DiVincenzo is a terrific athlete and tough-minded player who will be able to supply their lineups with a little bit of everything, whether it’s on or off the ball. While DiVincenzo’s value may be somewhat inflated by recency bias, there’s a sense among evaluators that he can offer a level of safety given his skill set.
SB Nation: C+
DiVincenzo is a solid guard who can hit jumpers off the dribble and compete defensively. Will he be able to finish at the rim over NBA length? Does he have versatility defensively? Ultimately, it feels like the Bucks left better players on the board to take DiVincenzo at No. 17.
Washington Post
After two massive performances — in the national title game and at the combine — Donte DiVincenzo became a mid-first-round pick, and goes to Milwaukee. DiVincenzo will give Milwaukee shooting, something it desperately needs, and can play either guard spot for new Coach Mike Budenholzer.
What he brings: The Michael Jordan of Delaware would have started on any other Division I squad during his two seasons at Villanova, and yet, he often came off the bench, a scoring burst for Coach Jay Wright. DiVincenzo was instant energy, connecting on more than 40 percent of his threes and posting an offensive efficiency rate of nearly 1.20 PPP — which is absurd considering the guard attempted only 22 percent of the Wildcats’ shots. Where he excelled, though, was converting late in the shot clock: per Synergy Sports, DiVincenzo dropped 1.06 points per possession with less than four seconds remaining, which ranked just outside DI’s top 20 in 2018 (and led the squad). DiVincenzo can not only get buckets, but he can do so in the most high pressure of possessions.
New York Times
He’s played on two of the last three N.C.A.A. champion teams, and had a huge 31-point performance in this year’s national championship game. But that combined with a strong showing at the draft combine still has some people shrugging at his pro potential. His maximum-effort style plays well in college, and he tests as a decent athlete, but there is fear that he may not have the high-end game to thrive in the pros. (They said the same things about Jimmy Butler.)
How he fits: For years the Bucks have drafted on maximum potential, and while they have ended up with some tremendous athletes (and one of the most dynamic young players in the game in Giannis Antetokounmpo) it has yet to result in them taking a leap as a team. Going with a player like DiVincenzo, who thrived in a winning culture and is more of a sure thing in several regards might be a masterstroke. But the Bucks left a lot of terrific options on the board to take him.
Marc Tracy: Donte DiVincenzo going 17th is quietly remarkable. Just a few months ago he was considered likely to be at Villanova another year. A commanding performance in the Final Four, and then a terrific N.B.A. combine, helped him get here. As I wrote earlier today, there’s actually a logic to teams buying high on a great N.C.A.A. run.
It seems opinion is somewhat split on Milwaukee selecting DiVincenzo, just as it appears to be within the fan community. Regardless, we should get our first chance to see him in action in just a few weeks when Summer League finally kicks off.