How Steph Curry helped Donte DiVincenzo take off: ‘He's just launching'

San Francisco Chronicle​

09-05-2025

Donte DiVincenzo's career shooting statistics trace a striking arc, starting with his one season as a member of the Golden State Warriors.
DiVincenzo always was a good 3-point shooter, dating to his college days at Villanova. He posted solid numbers in his first four years in the NBA, topping out at 346 long-distance attempts and 37.9% accuracy with Milwaukee in 2020-21.
The next season, with the Warriors, he hoisted 378 shots from deep and his efficiency jumped to 39.7%. Last season, in an expanded role with New York, DiVincenzo let fly a career-high 705 times and made 40.1%. This season, despite missing 20 games with Minnesota, he took 438 shots beyond the arc and hit nearly 40%.
So how did DiVincenzo's stop in San Francisco shape his journey? He watched Stephen Curry up close, for starters.
DiVincenzo returns to the Bay Area on Saturday, when the Warriors and Timberwolves meet in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series. The crowd no doubt will welcome him back: DiVincenzo quickly became a fan favorite at Chase Center, mostly because of his perpetual hustle.
Curry will miss his second consecutive game as he recovers from a strained hamstring. But his influence will be evident, not only on his own team but also in the way DiVincenzo approaches his role with Minnesota.
He's spoken occasionally in the past two years about how much he learned playing alongside Curry in 2022-23. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr offered a specific theory this week when asked about the Curry-DiVincenzo dynamic.
'I'm only half-joking when I say this: Donte learned to shoot every time he's open,' Kerr said of Curry's impact. 'He was a little gun shy, honestly, when we got him. Just a little bit. I don't think he fully let loose. And meeting Steph and seeing his mentality …
'I thought after he left us and went to the Knicks, and now here (with Minnesota), he's just launching. And I think he should, he's a hell of a shooter and his 3s are momentum shots. I think he did learn that from Steph.'
DiVincenzo came to the Warriors seeking to re-establish his value in the NBA. He was injured early in the 2021 playoffs, during Milwaukee's championship run, and then got traded to Sacramento in February 2022. The Kings surprised him by not extending a qualifying offer, prompting DiVincenzo to sign a two-year, $9.23 million contract with the Warriors, including a player option for the second year.
As he hoped, DiVincenzo's one season with Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green reminded teams he can really play. DiVincenzo boosted his shooting numbers, showed off his all-around game and helped Golden State advance to the conference semifinals against the Lakers.
Along the way, DiVincenzo connected with Curry in a meaningful way.
'We talked a lot,' DiVincenzo said this week. 'Not just about the craft of shooting but his mindset, his approach every single day. I took that more than all the little shooting tips.
'What he does shooting-wise you can't emulate. Just taking his day-to-day mindset and approach, applying it and working on my skills. …
'Steph has no secrets, but it's his focus level and attention to detail, taking care of his body and what he puts in his body, his routine, just everything. I learned a lot from him off the court during that year, and it applied on the court for sure.'
The Warriors liked DiVincenzo, but they knew his production pushed him out of their price range. He declined his player option in June 2023, as expected, and signed a four-year contract with the Knicks worth nearly $47 million (after seeking guidance from Curry).
DiVincenzo relentlessly launched shots with the Knicks, as Kerr put it, and became a central piece in the October 2024 deal bringing Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. DiVincenzo and Julius Randle went to Minnesota, where they teamed with Anthony Edwards to spark a late-season surge.
Now, after eliminating the Lakers in five games, the Timberwolves find themselves tied 1-1 with the Warriors – and in a favorable position given Curry's absence.
DiVincenzo struggled from 3-point land in Minnesota's first-round series, making only 6 of 31. He also went 1-for-7 in Game 1 against the Warriors. But he seemed to rediscover his touch Thursday night (3 of 8 from deep), as the T-wolves rolled to victory.
His impact stretches beyond outside shooting, much as it did with the Warriors.
'Donte's off-ball IQ is very high,' Minnesota head coach Chris Finch. 'We're not quite as movement-based as Golden State, but you still need high-IQ guys who can play without the ball in their hands, and that's where Donte fits really well with us.'
Curry has enjoyed his former teammate's rise to new heights with the Knicks and Timberwolves.
'It's been amazing to watch … to see him be part of playoff teams two years in a row,' Curry said. 'There's a reason he's in the rotation and a valuable resource for both those teams. He's a great player, a champ from what he did in college, and he's elevated his game.'
DiVincenzo and Curry both talked about how much they were looking forward to competing against each other in this series. That lasted barely more than one quarter, until Curry came up limping in the first half of Game 1 on Tuesday night.
This matchup still sparked a wave of Warriors-related questions for DiVincenzo earlier in the week. He reflected fondly on his season in San Francisco, which rejuvenated his career.
And he also formed a lasting bond with Curry.
'He's the most normal person,' DiVincenzo said. 'I've been asked this many times: What did you learn? Honestly, it was just how to go about life. All the attention and praise he gets, you would never know Steph Curry is Steph Curry being around him.
'You're just hanging out with him, and you can talk about anything in life. He's relatable, because he's not the 6-9 freak athlete. He knows what he went through with his ankle injuries. He knows the normal side.'