Analyst Defends Knicks Guard's Poor 2k Rating

Donte DiVincenzo is one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA for the New York Knicks, but his 2K rating doesn't reflect that.
May 12, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA;  New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) celebrates a made basket during game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
May 12, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) celebrates a made basket during game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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New York Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo is one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA.

Last season, only Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic had more 3-pointers than DiVincenzo.

However, Bleacher Report writer Grant Hughes slammed NBA 2K for giving DiVincenzo an 86 3-point rating when the video game released earlier this weekend.

"His 86 three-point rating fails to reflect the status he's earned," Hughes writes. "Nobody's advocating for something close to Steph's 99, but DiVincenzo needs to rate above the likes of Bradley Beal, KCP and end-of-bench role-players like Matt Ryan."

DiVincenzo, 27, had the best year of his career last season in his first go with the Knicks. He averaged a career-best 40 percent from distance and he averaged 15.5 points per game, which was also the best he's seen in his career. His efforts helped the Knicks get to one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals.

It remains to be seen if DiVincenzo will have as strong of an impact with the Knicks in his second season with the team. The Knicks traded for his collegiate teammate Mikal Bridges, and he's expected to take his spot in the starting lineup.

This means DiVincenzo is expected to be either the first or second player off the bench for the Knicks, and that might affect his numbers and stats considering he isn't getting as much run during games. But if he plays the way he did last year, coach Tom Thibodeau will have a hard time keeping DiVincenzo off of the floor.

If DiVincenzo can incorporate the same numbers and progressions that he did last year with the Knicks, he could end up as one of the league's top 3-point snipers once again and 2K could give him a couple more points on his rating.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.