Knicks Injury Report: Heroic Effort For New York Could Hamper 27YO’s Star’s Olympics Dream

In what was a close call tonight with the Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks, Donte DiVincenzo was injured. He finished the night with 27 points, four assists, and five rebounds in 41 minutes of game time. With no update on the injury status, all anyone knows for now is that DiVincenzo sustained a hamstring injury.

As reported by Bondy of the New York Post, Donte was clutching his right hamstring at the bench and limping. It was clear that he was in pain.

DiVincenzo hasn’t had too many injuries throughout his career. The last he was sidelined because of injuries was in December 2022. They ranged from hamstring, illness, and knee issues. Since then, he’s been largely healthy and is currently averaging some of the best numbers of his career.

DiVincenzo has 13.6 points per game while shooting 45.8% from the field and 41.5% from beyond the arc this season. But it won’t be just the next few games that will be in the wind if Donte doesn’t return. His plans for this season include more.

Donte DiVincenzo might have to give up on his Olympic dreams

DiVincenzo comes from an Italian heritage and, as such, has expressed his interest in representing Italy in the Olympics. But aside from the latest injury, there are a few other deciding factors too. For one, he still doesn’t have Italian citizenship. Although the process is underway, there has been no confirmation as of yet.

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Another factor he talked about was the Knicks’ deep playoff run. It could potentially ruin his qualifying tournament. Just a few weeks after the NBA Finals, the Olympic qualifying rounds begin. Italy, for its part, has to clear the July 2nd match against Bahrain and July 4th against Puerto Rico to qualify for Paris 2024.

And then there’s the little slight that happened in World Cup 2023. Vincenzo had no part in it whatsoever, but ahead of the World Cup, Italy was keen on getting Paolo Banchero. Unfortunately, close to the event, Banchero’s father went back on their verbal commitment and opted for Team USA. Can’t fault the Italian Basketball Federation for having their doubts regarding Donte.

Anyway, there are a bunch of hurdles the Villanova product has to clear. Hopefully, he gets his wish. Before that, let’s hope his injury is nothing that a few days of rest can’t solve!

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