Timberwolves starting point guard Donte DiVincenzo injured his toe during a January 15 matchup against the Warriors and has been on the shelf since then. He was ruled out indefinitely with what was termed a Grade 3 toe sprain.
According to a press release from the team, imaging revealed that DiVincenzo is dealing with a turf toe injury and has partially torn his plantar ligament in the toe. However, after the Wolves guard received a second opinion on the injury, it was determined that it would not require surgery.
DiVincenzo is set to be reevalauted in three weeks.
While DiVincenzo still faces an extended absence, this is a huge break for the Timberwolves. Had he required surgery, he could have been looking at recovery timeline measured in months, rather than weeks.
Oklahoma City guard Ajay Mitchell, for instance, was recently ruled out for at least 10-to-12 weeks following a turf toe surgery.
DiVincenzo looked out of sorts in his new digs for the first few months of the season, but he had turned a corner lately. Across his last 11 healthy games, DiVincenzo had begun to look like his New York-era self at last, averaging 16.4 points per game while slashing .446/.436/.852 shooting splits. He also registered 4.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game in those 11 bouts.
Rookie guard Rob Dillingham and 37-year-old veteran Mike Conley could get more run with DiVincenzo sidelined. DiVincenzo had recently replaced Conley as a starter.
Good for him. He plays so hard. I was home to see him play with his silly homeboys thus year but oh well.