Donte DiVincenzo steals Mike Conley’s spot in the Wolves’ top five

Funny feeling for Mike Conley a night spent in portland. The leader of the Wolves continued the regular season with the status of a substitute, which was his first… since his first season with the Grizzlies in 2007. In his place, Chris Finch decided to send Donte DiVicenzo in the major five, in addition to the indestructible Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert.

« This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while. And we succeeded », summarizes the coach after a match in which his Wolves narrowly won. The decision was made after consultation with the whole group, including Mike Conley. ” Mike was all for it, as you’d expect. He is someone who puts the team first. »

« This is certainly not a question of Mike Conley’s preseason performance, nor our perception of his level as a player », then specified the coach, who nevertheless based his decision on the pre-season results. Chris Finch believes that Donte DiVicenzo made one “ very good ».

Which is hard to read into the numbers as he averaged just 5.8 points (47%) per 16 minutes during this stretch. But which was still more than double the average posted by the veteran leader…

First draft in January

Also, Chris Finch was based on the first one experimenting with this genre last January. Donte DiVincenzo was promoted and, in a six-game streak (four wins), averaged 17.5 points, about 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The momentum was halted by a foot injury that allowed Mike Conley to find the top five and stay there for the rest of the playoffs (except for one game).

« Donte, in my opinion, played his best basketball in that short period before the injury, when he was in the starting lineup, before we found our rhythm. That’s why we’re very happy with this configuration, especially for the recording quality it brings to this group. This gives us a little more flexibility “, defends the coach today.

The latter considers its new bearer ” imposes a certain rhythm on the team, which Mike doesn’t do as much “. The weight of age has something to do with it, Mike Conley is ten years older. Their coach also sees a point in this adjustment.” strategic » regarding the 38-year-old veteran’s playing time management.

Mike Conley’s minutes are easier to manage

« It’s much easier to manage Mike’s impact by spreading his minutes over 36 minutes of play rather than 48 minutes. », assesses Chris Finch, who heard his leader’s speech wanting to touch the ball more. With the other five, he will undoubtedly have more opportunities.

« Now I can come back at the end of the quarter with him. I can do many different things: play long or short, depending on how it’s organized. It was more complicated before. He either played a few short periods or stayed on the bench for a long time », further develops the coach.

This new configuration didn’t really pay off during this first trip to Portland. The new starter finished with 7 points (3/6), 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, but lost 6 balls. Mike Conley scored 3 points (1/5) in 13 minutes, when the young hope of the leading team Rob Dillingham did not play…