Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo addressed reporters on Saturday, May 16, delivering a detailed account of his Achilles injury, recovery process, and season reflections during his exit press conference.
He opened by discussing his physical condition and recovery outlook. “Kind of the early stages of managing what went along with given the situation I feel great, no pain, no discomfort, nothing. Scar looks amazing literally, anything that I was thinking beforehand didn’t kind of transpire that way and it’s been all positive,” he said.
DiVincenzo also emphasized his mental state during rehab. “I think the big thing me mentally I’m in the right space so I think you need to be in the right space mentally to be able progress physically to bring you back.”
He then described the moment of injury recognition. “I knew right away. I asked the trainers when they came over. I said, ‘Just tell me, was there somebody around me?’ And they said, ‘No.’ And I said, ‘It’s my Achilles.’ So, I kind of knew right away.”
The guard explained when the emotional impact fully hit him. “Didn’t really hit me until walking off the court. Once I got to the back of the tunnel, that’s when my emotions started going through my head.”
He added further reflection on that moment. “Once I sat in the back, that’s when all the questions, the doubts, the you know, not understanding why me and all that, like that’s when that all hit.”
His mindset shifted quickly toward recovery planning. “By the next, you know, that next morning, my mind like I flipped the page of like I’m thinking when can we get surgery? When can we get started? When can I get back?”
DiVincenzo highlighted the importance of staying engaged with teammates during rehab. “Being in constant communication with those guys, and having that, you know, that team, that brotherhood around you, it really gets you through the dark, the dark moments.”
He also explained his approach to being present with the group. “Selfishly, you know, it’s for me as well. Like having those guys around me get me through those days.”
The veteran guard described his conversations with other players who suffered Achilles injuries, including Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard. “They’ve all offered me different perspectives of different types of conversations and, they’ve all been extremely helpful.”
He also spoke about his evolving role alongside Anthony Edwards. “For me it’s always about how do I compliment him? How can I make his life his job easier?”
Reflecting on the season, he pointed to a shift in mindset. “Just trying to win games. Trying to play well, don’t get me wrong, but I think when you’re focused on that stuff, you don’t play well and then everything else gets heightened.”
DiVincenzo also described the team’s balance issues on offense. “We get bogged down and the first thing we do is turn and look for Ant or look for Julius like come save us.”
He closed by emphasizing the group’s collective identity. “When you have a locker room full of good guys, it’s you can get through those things. But once you have, you know, stuff in the locker room that’s, you know, pointing the fingers at one another… you’re not always going to agree on anything.”
