Donte DiVincenzo was 25 years old with four years of NBA experience when he signed with the Warriors last summer, but he acted and played like a grizzled veteran during his one season in the Bay Area.
With how DiVincenzo, now 26, carries himself, that lent itself to the perfect nickname from Warriors superstar Steph Curry.
While speaking to the media at the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nev. on Thursday, Curry was asked about DiVincenzo signing with the New York Knicks and what he will bring to his new team.
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"He's all about basketball," Curry told reporters. "He's all about winning. He brings great energy to the locker room. I used to call him 'The Vet' even though he's still on the younger side just because he has that kind of spirit about him. He plays way beyond his years. And he's good on both sides of the ball.
"He can play-make better than most people probably realize. So he fills a lot of holes on a team and he's not selfish in the respect of, I know he wants to start and be that guy, but he also understands where value can be created on a team no matter what the role is you're asked to do. He bought in right away, and he got rewarded for it."
DiVincenzo signed a four-year, $46.87 million contract with the Knicks after spending last season with the Warriors. He originally signed a two-year, $9.23 million contract with Golden State, though the second year of the deal was a player option, which he declined to become a free agent.
In 72 games with the Warriors, DiVincenzo averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 26.3 minutes. He wound up starting 36 games due to injuries and Andrew Wiggins' absence.
Golden State Warriors
While the Warriors would have loved to have retained DiVincenzo, they knew he was going to command more money than they could offer.
"Super happy, super proud of him," Curry said. "We had a good conversation the last off-season when he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do. I know he's coming off injury and trying to find a situation that could help him establish who he is as an NBA player and how much value he brings to winning teams.
"And he proved that above and beyond with us all year. He knows how to play a game. You can tell he won at the highest level in college. The Knicks got a good one, and I'm happy that he got his fair share of CBA, too. It was good."
DiVincenzo said goodbye to Dub Nation in an Instagram post Thursday night, and he likely will get a nice ovation from the Chase Center crowd whenever he returns this upcoming season.