“It’s not easy… when we get traded,” said Rudy Gobert, two and half seasons after he moved away from the Utah Jazz. On Sunday, after defeating the SA Spurs in a close encounter, the French big man had something to reveal about his new teammate, who got traded from the Knicks. While Julius Randle immediately adapted to the conditions, performing at a high level, Donte DiVincenzo took some time. Now, the backup guard seemed to have come out of the slump, as Gobert empathized with the star’s internal battle.

After representing the Jazz for 9 seasons, the team traded out the big man. It wasn’t a usual trade-out. Before coming out of the franchise, he had a fallout with Donovan Mitchell. The players seemed to have picked up a beef following the pandemic breakout in the league and never really patched up after that. And the team ultimately had to trade them both. However, following that Rudy Gobert seemed to have found the right spot. Once speaking of the Wolves locker room, he said, “I’ve never been part of a group that understands each other.” 

Similarly, Donte DiVincenzo didn’t seem to have left the Knicks’ franchise on a good note. The French man hinted at it by saying, “From what I felt, I think, he was still hanging on to some frustration from, you know, what happened,” during the post-game presser. Notably, during the initial part of the season, there was an instance where DiVincenzo had an ugly back-and-forth with the Knicks bench. It ultimately affected his performance, as the number dropped drastically.

While he shot at 40.1% from the arc last season, this season, he shot at only 35.6%. Last night, he had a breakout performance, where he dropped a team-high 26 points to save the game. Following the game, DiVincenzo addressed the mental block that left him in a slump meanwhile Gobert seemed to have sensed it earlier and he helped by speaking to him a “lil bit”. 

Alongside Rudy Gobert’s support, Donte DiVincenzo opened up about his slump

When he was at the NY Knicks, the franchise created an unreal union by teaming up with the Villanova boys. Ahead of the season, the team traded in Mikal Bridges, making the union even stronger. However, before Donte DiVincenzo could play alongside his college buddies, the team traded him to the Wolves as part of the blockbuster Towns trade. This seemed to have affected the star and it reflected on his performance in the initial stage of the season.

Speaking after the game-winning performance, Donte said, “I know what I can do… It’s more of a mental side of things like I said there’s no excuse. It’s a grace period that I have to give myself to understand, it’s a new offense, new city, new everything. So. just understanding you take good with bad because I know ties will turn and everyone here has most confidence in me.” So, the star has considered the slump as a grace period before he unleashes his full potential. The rest of the league has to watch out! 

Moreover, Gobert, adding to it, said, “I’m feeling, you know, (he) is finally present, you know. He’s he’s happy, is himself and is in a moment, you know, he’s able to have fun, you know, being who he is be fully mentally there.” The Wolves just threatened the NBA world that they have their backup guard in rhythm. What do you think? Let us know in the comments