With the 2022-23 season having come to an end, we look back and review every player that took to the floor for the Golden State Warriors. Players are ranked on performance, with some of that based on preseason expectations.
After signing a two-year, $9.2 million contract with the Golden State Warriors last offseason, there’s little doubt Donte DiVincenzo played well above that value in 2022-23. Coming off an 18-month period plagued by injury and uncertainty surrounding his future, the fifth-year product re-stamped his position as one of the best two-way bench guards in the league.
There was a slight blip when DiVincenzo missed eight-straight games early in the season, but from there he was a crucially consistent presence in a Warrior season that was hit by a lack of continuity.
Donte DiVincenzo’s first season at the Golden State Warriors was impressive, but in turn that may mean it’s his lone year with the franchise.
DiVincenzo made an understandably slow upon return, but quickly found his feet as an incredibly valuable piece to Steve Kerr’s rotation. His first double-digit scoring output came on November 27 in Minnesota, hitting four threes on his way to 14 points and six rebounds in the blowout victory.
With Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins on the sidelines in December, DiVincenzo was rushed into a starting role as his ancillary scoring and playmaking, along with his primary point-of-attack defense, became crucial to Golden State on both ends of the ball.
DiVincenzo had three-straight games of 15 or more points in mid-December, including one of the highlights of the Warriors’ season with five three-pointers in the first-quarter of the December 16 battle against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 2021 NBA champion had another five threes and 19 points in a big Christmas Day win over the Memphis Grizzlies, but perhaps his biggest highlight of the season came on New Year’s Day against the Atlanta Hawks.
DiVincenzo had been struggling scoring-wise for the entire night, yet came up with a clutch three with 0.6 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Two overtimes later and Kevon Looney hit his first career buzzer-beater in one of the games of the season.
A productive January also included a 22-point outing against the San Antonio Spurs, and a 17-point, six-rebound, four-assist, four-steal performance in an upset win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. DiVincenzo also had a double-double against the Toronto Raptors, and ended the month by scoring double-digits in seven of the last nine games.
Continuing in a starting role with Wiggins away from the franchise dealing with personal issues, DiVincenzo added another three 20+ point performances in March as he remained a reliable presence in the Warrior rotation.
Like many role players, his minutes didn’t quite translate to the postseason, also owing to Wiggins’ timely return. After averaging over 26 minutes during the regular season, DiVincenzo saw 18 minutes per game during the playoffs. His perimeter defense wasn’t quite at the same level, and his three-point percentage fell from 39.7% to 34.1%.
The two-time NCAA champion had his best playoff performance in the Warriors’ last, with DiVincenzo hitting four threes, scoring 16 points, and recording a positive plus-minus in a 21-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6.
DiVincenzo holds a $4.7 million player option for next season, and given his form and the stage of career he finds himself, the Warriors are going to be hard-pressed to find a way to retain the 26-year-old.