Minnesota received positive news this week in the form of the second opinion on Donte DiVincenzo’s left great toe.
A stress fluoroscopy uncovered a stable turf toe injury for the Timberwolves’ guard, with a partial tear of the plantar ligament. The injury will not require surgery.
Previously, DiVincenzo — who suffered late in a Wolves’ loss to Golden State on Jan. 15 — was diagnosed with a Grade 3 sprain of the toe. At the time, Minnesota said the guard was out “indefinitely.”
With the new diagnosis, DiVincenzo is set to be re-evaluated in three weeks. That’s a big deal to a Timberwolves team teetering on the edge of contention. With his playmaking, ability to push in transition and outside shooting, DiVincenzo availability largely represents Minnesota’s ceiling.
When he’s at his best, the current roster makes a little more sense, and the Wolves are more equipped to punch alongside the Western Conference heavyweights. After a slow start to the season, the 27 year old was finding his groove before being injured. In that loss to Golden State, DiVincenzo finished with 28 points, nine assists, six rebounds and no turnovers.
Had DiVincenzo been expected to miss much of the remainder of the regular season, Minnesota may have had to pick a lane — scrape together enough victories to hold water and hope the guard could return in time for a legitimate playoff push, or start thinking more long term and perhaps re-arrange some assets to better align with future seasons.
Those decisions would have to be made by the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and everything is still on the table as the NBA heads toward one of its peak transactional periods.
But if the guard can return by as soon as mid-February, Minnesota has flexibility. The Wolves could choose to merely refine their roster, or maintain the status quo and allow the current pieces more time to mesh in the hopes things click and the team ascends to new heights by season’s end.
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