But he’s hit another level over the past two months. Since Dec. 30, DiVincenzo is averaging 18.9 points per game. He’s sinking 4.1 3-pointers per game during that time, second in the NBA to his old teammate Curry. And even though DiVincenzo is no longer running alongside one of the greatest shooters in the history of the sport, he still pins much of his improvement on Curry.
DiVincenzo earned more than just a season’s worth of open looks when he went to Golden State. He also got to apprentice a one-of-one talent. Once he and Curry grew closer, DiVincenzo learned more about the game’s fundamentals, if only from osmosis.
His outlook on 3-point shooting began to adjust.
Two weeks after the Golden State’s 2022-23 season ended, DiVincenzo returned to the gym with Warriors assistant coach Kris Weems. The focus? Add some Curry-ness to his jumper.
Two elements of Curry’s jump shot had become apparent to DiVincenzo. First, he noticed the emphasis Curry put on his shoulders. No matter what, whether Curry was pulling up for a 30-foot dagger or scampering around a screen and hoisting some off-balance fadeaway, his shoulders always squared to the basket.
“I used to think feet squared, shoulders squared, release and everything had to be aligned and everything,” DiVincenzo said. “And I get he’s almost an anomaly. But what’s so much different is as long as his shoulders are good, he doesn’t care about anything else.”
So DiVincenzo figured it was best to care about Curry’s priorities.
“That’s what feels the most comfortable. It’s how you get the most power,” Curry said. “It’s like shooting a bow and arrow or throwing darts. You want your lead side closer to your target. If my feet are pointed ever so slightly to 10 or maybe 11 o’clock, you can accomplish that. Strong base, strong power.”
Today, DiVincenzo is a master of square shoulders, even as he tosses up increasingly difficult looks, whether they’re off the move or out of a pick-and-roll. And the new power in his game is showing.
. . .
DiVincenzo and Weems worked on shooting off movement. They watched clips of Curry, studying the way he angles his upper body. They watched ones of DiVincenzo — the good and the bad.
But the shoulders weren’t the only focus. DiVincenzo noticed another quirk of Curry’s jump shooting, too. Lots of players lean back when they pull up off the dribble. But Curry goes in a different direction.
“Even if he’s running 1,000 miles an hour, he’ll stop and his chest is forward when he finishes, but his feet are the same,” DiVincenzo said.
It’s no accident, either.
“You want momentum to carry you,” Curry said. “As long as you have arc with it, you’re fine for the most part. You can have a nice rhythm or flow and the power becomes more effortless that way. If you start to do the opposite, it becomes a lot harder to be consistent because you’re shooting mostly with arms. There’s a timing element to it.”
It’s another element of Curry’s game that DiVincenzo has lifted for himself.