Timberwolves face tough test without Donte DiVincenzo: Who steps up?

Donte DiVincenzo will not play Friday night when the Timberwolves visit Madison Square Garden for a matchup with Karl-Anthony Towns and the Knicks. His absence could pose significant challenges for Minnesota.

DiVincenzo had replaced Mike Conley in the starting lineup just six games ago and was stellar during that stretch, averaging 17.5 points on 42.1% shooting from three, along with 5.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

Meanwhile, Conley, coming off the bench in those six games, has averaged 6.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists.

It’s unclear how Minnesota will adjust its starting lineup, but there appear to be two logical options. They could either reinstate Conley in the starting five or allocate DiVincenzo’s minutes to Nickeil Alexander-Walker to maintain Conley’s rhythm with the second unit.

If Conley returns to the starting lineup and his workload increases from 21 minutes per game to over 30, the most viable solution to cover his backup minutes at point guard would be to give rookie Rob Dillingham around 20 minutes per game. Dillingham was called up from the G League on Thursday following a two-game rehab stint for an ankle sprain that sidelined him since December 23.

DiVincenzo had played in all 40 games this season, making his absence uncharted territory for Minnesota. Compounding the challenge is their grueling schedule, which includes games against the Knicks, Cavaliers, Grizzlies, Mavericks, and Nuggets over the next nine days.

Replacing DiVincenzo’s three-point shooting will be critical. He’s averaged over four made threes per game in the last six contests. While Conley has been shooting efficiently from deep (40% during his reserve role), it will be crucial for the Timberwolves to continue getting offensive contributions from Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Alexander-Walker.

On the bright side, Reid has been on fire, shooting 46.9% from beyond the arc on 5.3 attempts per game over the last six games. McDaniels has also been reliable, hitting 42.9% of his threes on 3.5 attempts per game during the same stretch.

Minnesota hasn’t been a strong offensive team this season, and now they face the additional challenge of overcoming the loss of a player who has been their second-best performer of late.

Related: Anthony Edwards calls Wolves’ starting five ‘terrible’ after Warriors loss