It came down to one simple factor when Donte DiVincenzo decided to sign with the Knicks. 

It wasn’t necessarily the presence of Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. Or an overwhelming desire to return to the east coast. 

“I like winning basketball games,” he said. “We have a helluva team. We have a helluva coach.” 

The 6-foot-4 DiVincenzo has done a lot of that throughout his NBA career, winning an NBA title with the Bucks and playing with the Warriors last season.

He picked the Knicks, in part, because of what he has noticed about them under Tom Thibodeau the last three years, reaching the postseason twice and winning a playoff series for the first time in a decade last year.

He doesn’t care that he may be coming off the bench – Thibodeau plans to keep last year’s starting five intact – or that his playing time could fluctuate.

“My focus is to win games whether I’m starting or coming off the bench, playing 20 minutes or 40 minutes,” he said. “I signed a four-year deal here, so I plan to be here long-term.”

DiVincenzo, 26, didn’t talk to either Brunson or Hart before signing the contract. He rarely talks to Brunson about basketball. Their friendship goes beyond that. But he is thrilled to call them teammates again after winning a pair of national championships at Villanova together. 

“It couldn’t have worked out better for me,” DiVincenzo said.