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Utah Jazz 2018 NBA Draft Profile: Donte DiVincenzo

By Jared Woodcox

SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Donte DiVincenzo #10 of the Villanova Wildcats reacts after a shot in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Donte DiVincenzo #10 of the Villanova Wildcats reacts after a shot in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Donte DiVincenzo has the look of a near-perfect fit if he were available when the Utah Jazz select at No. 21 overall in the 2018 NBA Draft.

After leading his Villanova team to the 2018 NCAA Championship then blowing scouts (and the competition) away at the NBA Draft Combine, it’s little surprise that Donte DiVincenzo has received quite a lot of hype leading up to the 2018 NBA Draft. He’s undoubtedly elevated his stock to where he could very well be out of the reach of the Utah Jazz when they select at No. 21 overall.

It wasn’t all that long ago that such a thought didn’t seem like much of a possibility. After all, despite DiVincenzo’s great attributes, he didn’t come without his concerns. He isn’t a lock-down defender by any means. Though his percentages are good, he’s been considered a streaky shooter by some. Others also argue that he benefited from great teammates that may have made him appear better than what he can produce in the NBA.

However, if his NCAA Championship play wasn’t enough, I believe his NBA Combine performance silenced many of those doubts. DiVincenzo is certainly an NBA prospect and could very well be an exceptional piece for whoever ends up taking him.

And if he’s available at No. 21 when the Utah Jazz select, I imagine they’ll have an extremely tough time passing him up.

One of the first things that stands out to me about DiVincenzo is his simple will to win. He’s a grinder that makes a conscious effort to do a little bit of everything to ensure his team comes out on top. Those attributes are skills that can’t be taught, regardless of if a player has all the talent in the world or not. Donte’s heart and hustle almost immediately set him apart as an electrifying prospect that would make him a seamless fit with the Jazz.

Not only that, but he’s far from just an “intangibles” guy. In his final year at Villanova, DiVincenzo shot an impressive 40.1 percent from behind the arc on 5.3 attempts per game to go along with 48.1 percent from the field. Donte has the looks of a great shooter that should only be able to improve inside Utah’s renowned development program.

He also stuffed the stat sheet with 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and just over a steal per game. Though defense isn’t necessarily his forte, he’s still a willing defender with good skills and focus on that end of the floor.

DiVincenzo is a do-everything kind of guy that’s just going to lay it all out on the floor. Combine that with his still high ceiling and he could very well be a perfect fit for the Jazz. Not only would he have room to grow, but he could contribute from day one in a variety of beneficial ways.

Not to mention, DiVincenzo is an incredible athlete. As time goes by and he becomes familiar with the speed of the NBA game, he may very well be able to surprise opposing squads with his quickness, explosiveness and leaping ability. Between him, Donovan Mitchell and Dante Exum (assuming he’s retained), the Utah Jazz would have a scary quick and athletic guard group that would present mighty challenges for their foes.

Oh yeah, and I mentioned that he shot over 40 percent from 3-point land this past season, right? If DiVincenzo’s shooting carries over to the next level, he figures to be even more dangerous as a player who can score in multiple ways including the coveted deep ball.

Between his raw skills, athleticism, heart and simple IQ for the game of basketball, Donte DiVincenzo has Jazz DNA written all over him and would seemingly be an amazing fit if he could be had with the 21st overall pick.

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In a recent draft profile of mine, I pinned Creighton’s Khyri Thomas as the guy I’d most like to see the Jazz end up nabbing. I still stand by that, but DiVincenzo is easily a close second.

Whether the Jazz share that enamor for those same two players or not is an unknown at this point. Regardless of if they do or not, though, you can bet that once the Utah Jazz are on the clock with the 21st overall pick, there will be some great prospects still available, leaving Utah with a tough decision.

But despite the hard choices, if after all was said and done, they decided to go with Donte DiVincenzo, I would be absolutely elated.