Warriors’ Donte DiVincenzo yet to carry regular season success into playoffs
Donte #Donte
Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo drives against the Lakers’ Malik Beasley during Game 3 Saturday.
LOS ANGELES — Speaking to the media Monday morning inside UCLA’s Mo Ostin Basketball Center, Golden State Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo said that this postseason has been challenging for him.
The former Milwaukee starter averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 72 regular-season games this season with the Warriors. His production jumped to 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.5 rebounds per game over his final six appearances before the playoffs.
DiVincenzo started 24 of Golden State’s final 25 regular-season games in place of Andrew Wiggins, who was sidelined because of a family matter.
DiVincenzo’s usage has been trimmed from 26.3 minutes per game to 18.2 in the playoffs. He still has been featured prominently in Steve Kerr’s rotation, including starting Game 1 of Golden State’s first-round series against Sacramento.
The challenge to which DiVincenzo alluded has to do with his offensive efficiency. Entering Monday’s Game 4 against the Lakers, he had averaged 4.5 points in the postseason while shooting 31.1% from the field and 28.1% from 3-point range. He has reached double figures in scoring just once in the 10 games — his start against the Kings.
DiVincenzo knows he has to be better, but hasn’t lost sight of the role Kerr is asking him to fill.
“As a player, you just have to trust the process, trust the coaches, get your number called, go out there and do what you’re supposed to do,” DiVincenzo said. “Everybody wants to start and play high minutes, so in your minutes, you have to be effective.”
When asked about his diminished offensive production, DiVincenzo said it has a lot to do with the postseason’s slower pace — something to which he has yet to adjust. The playoffs are more of a half-court game and he is most effective on offense in transition. He said the key to getting back on track as a scorer starts with a greater level of aggression on his part.
“Being aggressive and trying to get everybody involved, not just trying to be aggressive and get to the rim,” DiVincenzo said. “We have a lot of scorers on our team. If I can be aggressive and get to the rim, get those guys easy shots, that’s what I can do.”
Still, his selfless mentality remains consistent.
“Across our team, if you can look yourself in the mirror and know that you helped our team win … you may have shot 1-for-10, it doesn’t matter,” DiVincenzo said. “If you did the little things that helped our team win, it’s another W in the win column and we’ll take it.”
Reach C.J. Holmes: cj.holmes@sfchronicle.com