The Timberwolves and Knicks will meet again Friday in New York. Which can only mean one thing: Bring on the trade debates. Every time the two teams meet, or when one squad does something or significance – good or bad – the deal that sent Karl-Anthony Towns to New York will be discussed. Who won? Who lost? Such will be the case for years to come. So while the timing of Donte DiVincenzo’s injury — he’ll miss Friday’s bout with a left great toe sprain — timing is rather unfortunate the Wolves, the timing of his emergence is quite the opposite. His breakout has made Minnesota’s end of the trade all the more palatable. When Towns and the Knicks visited Minnesota in mid-December, DiVincenzo had yet to find a rhythm with his new team. That had the Wolves firmly parked in the position of “trade loser.” Randle’s fit within the Wolves’ roster was very much in question – and still is. DiVincenzo’s role with the Wolves, however, has since come into clear focus – and it’s a big one. The guard has entered the starting lineup and flourished. He has the look of a legitimate Robin to Anthony Edwards’ Batman. And, in this case, Robin both stuffs stat sheets while making the little winning plays that help others around him – and the team at large – flourish. The 27-year-old guard has flirted with triple doubles in two of Minnesota’s last three outings. DiVincenzo tallied 28 points, nine assists, six rebounds, one steal and zero turnovers in the Wolves’ loss to the Warriors on Wednesday, making him the first player in franchise history to post such a line. “He’s playing incredible, man. He’s playing how he was playing (for the Knicks) in the playoffs last year, just ultimate confidence,” Edwards said. “Crashing, skying over people, getting rebounds. … He’s been playing out his mind, man. I’m happy to have him.” DiVincenzo discovered a comfort with his teammates and his role, which have seemingly unlocked the maximum version of himself. DiVincenzo said he’s seeing the game a bit differently as a starter. The amount of attention opponents give to Edwards and Randle allow him to be aggressive. That aggression has been evident in all phases of the game. DiVincenzo is flying around defensively, crashing the glass on both ends and pushing the pace in transition. “Donte is a really good basketball player. When he plays within the flow of the game and the ball moves, he’s able to take what the defense gives him,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert said. “Our screening, our running, our spacing, all these things are getting better and better, and players like Donte can really help our team in a big way. That’s who we need him to be.” The larger role DiVincenzo can claim with the Wolves, the better the team figures to be. Because his imprint will continue to grow. DiVincenzo is the rare high-level producer who does focus on all the little things such as screening for teammates, cutting and rebounding. The closer Minnesota  as a team gets to taking on DiVincenzo’s identity, the better it will be in the long haul. “Those are things that aren’t maybe cute, but great teams do,” Gobert said. “Donte is one of those guys that is really able to do that for his teammates consistently, and you don’t see those on the stat sheet, but they affect winning.” It hasn’t yet for Minnesota, which continues to flounder around the .500 mark. But there are small victories even with the losses for the Wolves, as Minnesota finds more opportunities in transition and DiVincenzo and Edwards continue to develop chemistry and the ability to work off one another offensively. As that becomes more consistent, perhaps the Wolves will finally take the offensive leap they desperately need to contend at a high level. “I just think we have a lot of good basketball players, and you just kind of feel the flow of the game. … Picking your spots, but just having an aggressive mindset, whether it’s making a play for somebody else, making a play for myself, just getting stuff going,” DiVincenzo said. “The most enjoyable thing about Ant is you can feel how much energy he gives me, how much confidence he gives me, and it’s right back to him. I think that’s the most fun: We’re just going back and forth, not in terms of trying to score. I’m saying going back and forth in terms of always talking to one another, always giving each other energy, giving our teammates energy. “I think that is starting to go in the right direction, but we have to build on it, we have to stack wins and we have to be better overall, collectively.” Related Articles Minnesota Timberwolves | Timberwolves ugly first quarter leads to loss to Golden State Minnesota Timberwolves | Timberwolves forward Naz Reid to have high school jersey number retired Thursday in New Jersey Minnesota Timberwolves | Jace Frederick: Vikings fans, let’s catch you up on the Timberwolves Minnesota Timberwolves | Anthony Edwards scores 41 as Timberwolves beat Wizards for fourth win in five games Minnesota Timberwolves | Anthony Edwards receives another fine, Timberwolves lose Shannon Jr.