Donte DiVincenzo will undergo Achilles surgery Sunday, resetting his return timeline after the Timberwolves guard suffered a torn tendon in Game 4, according to a report by ESPN senior NBA writer Tim Bontemps.
The Minnesota Timberwolves confirmed Sunday morning that Donte DiVincenzo will undergo surgery following one of the most painful moments of their playoff run. DiVincenzo will undergo surgery for his torn right Achilles tendon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, performed by specialist Dr. Martin O’Malley, according to Bontemps. The timing of the injury leaves Minnesota scrambling mid-series and raises immediate questions about how quickly DiVincenzo can realistically return from one of basketballâs most punishing injuries.
DiVincenzo went down just over a minute into Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night, a devastating blow to a Minnesota team in the middle of a playoff fight. The injury is a confirmed tear of the right Achilles tendon, the team announced.
The speed of Sunday’s surgical response is highly significant. NBA observers immediately recognized a major parallel. Dr. O’Malley performed the same procedure on Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum last May, less than 24 hours after Tatum suffered an identical injury against the New York Knicks. Marc Stein of The Stein Line confirmed the Timberwolves’ announcement Sunday.
DiVincenzo Surgery Follows the Jayson Tatum Blueprint
Tatum tore his right Achilles on May 12 of last year. He returned to the floor 298 days later, on March 6, and has looked remarkably close to his pre-injury form. In 16 regular-season games back, Tatum averaged 21.8 points, 10 rebounds and 5.3 assists. In the playoffs, those numbers have climbed to 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game, according to Dunking With Wolves‘ Eamon Cassels.
If DiVincenzo follows even a similar trajectory, the Timberwolves could be looking at a dramatically different timeline than Achilles injuries once dictated.
Dr. O’Malley is known for deploying the “SpeedBridge” technique, which reinforces the repaired tendon with an anchor-based support structure designed to accelerate the healing process, according to Sports Illustrated‘s John Karalis. The method has reshaped how NBA franchises approach Achilles recovery. A catastrophic injury that once ended careers is increasingly viewed as a setback rather than an NBA death sentence.
DiVincenzo’s injury occurred in late April. If his body tracks along the same 298-day arc Tatum followed, a return sometime around late February, perhaps just after the 2027 All-Star break, becomes a realistic target for next season.
Timberwolves Lose Donte DiVincenzo at Critical Moment
The timing cuts deep for Minnesota. DiVincenzo was one of just four players in the entire NBA to start all 82 regular-season games this year. His relentless motor, perimeter shooting and defensive pressure made him a foundational piece of what the Timberwolves built this season. Losing him mid-series against Denver forces the organization to reconfigure its rotation immediately, even with Minnesota up 3-1 in the first round.
The broader basketball world is drawing hope from Tatum’s precedent. A torn Achilles was once the injury that defined a player’s ceiling, the “before” and “after” line in a career. Tatum’s rapid surgery, aggressive rehabilitation and elite performance upon return have introduced a new frame of reference for franchises navigating this exact situation.
DiVincenzo’s recovery will depend on his own body, his work ethic and the medical staff around him. But the blueprint now exists. Sunday’s announcement that he will be operated on by Tatum’s surgeon, with the same quick turnaround, is the clearest possible signal that the Timberwolves are aiming for the same outcome the Celtics saw with Tatum. The model is there, but whether DiVincenzo can match Tatumâs accelerated path now becomes one of the most important questions shaping the Timberwolvesâ future.
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