The Timberwolves' leader in net rating might not be who you'd expect

Donte DiVincenzo is having an excellent season in his second year with Minnesota.

Oct 9, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte Divincenzo and guard Anthony Edwards (5) talk during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. | John Jones-Imagn Images

22 games into their season, the Minnesota Timberwolves' leader in net rating isn't superstar scorer Anthony Edwards or four-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert. It isn't Julius Randle, their second option on offense, or Jaden McDaniels, who is having a breakout scoring campaign to complement his excellent defense.

No, the Wolves' leader in net rating is their fifth starter, Donte DiVincenzo, at +10.0. He has a 121.7 offensive rating (points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor) that's second among the Timberwolves' ten rotation players, just behind Randle and just in front of Edwards. His 111.6 defensive rating is in the middle of the pack but is notably better than Randle and Edwards' marks.

And if you filter out garbage time, the Wolves have a +12.4 net rating with DiVincenzo on the court and a -5.8 net rating when he sits, per databallr. That's the best on/off mark on the team.

For those who might prefer more traditional stats, DiVincenzo also leads the Timberwolves with a +154 plus-minus this season. Gobert sits in second place in both net rating and plus-minus.

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

All of those stats paint the picture of how well DiVincenzo has played in his second season with Minnesota. He's playing more minutes than he did last season now that he's a full-time starter, he's upped his scoring slightly, and he remains a solid defender. DiVincenzo has been exactly who the Wolves believed he was when they acquired him in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade: A player who can fit in any system and impact winning at a high level.

DiVincenzo is on his fifth team in the last five seasons, but it's not because nobody wants him. He was a solid player in his first few years with the Bucks, and the same was true in brief stints with the Kings and Warriors. He broke out with a career year for the Knicks in 2023-24, which included an incredible postseason performance. And he's now continuing to thrive in Minnesota.

The most obvious skill DiVincenzo brings to the table is elite off-ball three-point shooting. He's hitting nearly 40 percent of his threes on over eight attempts per game this year and has shot in the 40 percent range in each of the previous three seasons as well. He's made at least one three in every game so far and has hit four or more ten times, including each of the last four contests.

But that's far from the only thing DiVincenzo does well. On offense, he's a solid playmaker from the off-guard spot who can get to the rim at times. Defensively, he always averages over a steal per game, and he's tied with McDaniels for the team lead at 2.8 deflections per game. He also has ten total blocked shots this season as a 6'4" guard.

Donte DiVincenzo steal, Anthony Edwards transition driving layup pic.twitter.com/XZYTLuOTg4

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) December 3, 2025

Randle was obviously the centerpiece of the Towns trade from a Minnesota perspective. But DiVincenzo was far more than a throw-in, and he's playing excellent basketball this season as a great fit alongside Edwards in the Timberwolves' backcourt.

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