Three ways Donte DiVincenzo improves Timberwolves roster

The New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to a blockbuster trade on Friday night. Karl-Anthony Towns joined the Knicks, and Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo went to Minnesota.

Despite Randle's status as an All-Star forward, DiVincenzo will likely be the most critical addition to T-wolves head coach Chris Finch. Here are three ways he will help improve Minnesota's roster ahead of the new season.

Perimeter scoring

Last season, the Timberwolves finished 15th in three-point shots made and third in three-point percentage. As such, it's easy to delineate that they weren't a heavy three-point shooting team, which the numbers back up. Minnesota ranked 23rd in the NBA for total attempts from the perimeter last season.

DiVincenzo will help change that. He had a career year on the perimeter for the Knicks, knocking down 40.1% of his three-point attempts on a high-volume diet of 8.7 threes per night. As such, the Timberwolves perimeter offense is getting a massive upgrade in DiVincenzo. This should help elevate their overall spacing, especially on the second unit, where the franchise needs fresh blood. 

Perimeter defense 

DiVincenzo is a bulldog of a defender. He fights over screens, gets into his opponents' air space, hustles, and impacts shots via flyby closeouts. He's the perfect three-and-D defender to elevate Finch's team. DiVincenzo can guard the best player on the floor or slide down to protect the corners and deter any dribble hand-off actions around the perimeter.

Minnesota's perimeter defense has significantly improved with DiVincenzo's addition. It will be interesting to see whether he slots into their starting lineup or comes off the bench. Timberwolves fans will likely love lineups with DiVincenzo and Jaden McDaniels, too, as both will make hustle plays and bring lock-down defense to the table, allowing some of the other stars to play more freely on offense.

Additional playmaking

The Basketball Index ranks DiVincenzo in the 93rd percentile for playmaking talent. He's a valuable ball-handler who can scale his production to fit his team's needs. He's adept at running the pick-and-roll, has good patience and court vision in transition and can penetrate off the dribble to create his shot when necessary.

During the possessions where Anthony Edwards is off the floor, DiVincenzo could help keep the offense ticking over as a low-usage ball-handler who can quickly get the ball out of his hands and manipulate the defense with his scoring gravity. DiVincenzo will be a solid release valve for the Timberwolves this season and one they can trust to make the right play consistently.