MADISON – This may be his first time practicing at the University of Wisconsin, but there's an element of déjà vu to the start of training camp for Donte DiVincenzo.

He's practicing at a university gym and preparing for his second season after the first ended prematurely due to a right foot injury. That exactly what happened to him at Villanova when he broke that foot after nine games during the 2015-16 season. It's the situation he finds himself in again after heel bursitis cut his promising rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks down to just 27 games.

“It’s very similar to freshman year at Nova," DiVincenzo said after the team's first practice session Wednesday at UW's Nicholas Johnson Pavilion. "I was playing a little bit, got hurt and I had to learn a lot from off the court. Same as here. … Going forward, just like I did in college, just keep moving, just keep getting better every single day and things will take care of themselves.”

When most of his teammates left Milwaukee following their playoff exit in the Eastern Conference finals, DiVincenzo stuck around. He had been shut down from basketball activities since late March but was in the thick of his rehab and didn't want to stray from his regimen or the care of the Bucks' medical staff.

By the time summer league came around in early July, DiVincenzo felt well enough to play. However, the team didn't want to take any chances by exposing their 22-year-old guard to unnecessary competition. So he kept his head down and kept working behind the scenes.

Now his short- and long-term prognosis is clear. He's full-go and feeling fine. When he takes the court, he does so with no reservations or thoughts about his heel.

"You get more detailed attention, you have everything at your disposal when you stay in Milwaukee – coaches, medical – and I think he took advantage of all of that this year," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said.

“I think Donte’s had a really great summer. I think the discipline to follow the plan and execute the plan, it takes a lot of self-discipline to do that. ... Just really happy with how he’s playing but most importantly that he’s healthy. It looks like he’s got his confidence and he’s playing with a ton of confidence and he’s a great athlete and a great competitor when he’s healthy.”

DiVincenzo averaged 4.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 40.3% and 26.5% from three-point range last season in 27 appearances. Those numbers may not pop off the page, but at the beginning of last season, he proved enough to Budenholzer and his teammates to earn a rotation spot at the beginning of the regular season, appearing in each of the first 14 games.

In that time, DiVincenzo showed flashes of the player he could become, and he enters this season in the mix among players who will be expected to pick up the slack from losing Malcolm Brogdon via a summertime trade.

"It’s amazing. He looks really, really good," Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said when asked about having DiVincenzo back on the court. "It’s kind of tough that he didn’t play last year and he was actually helping the team a lot. You kind of forget what kind of a player he is but now that he came back he looks good. He’s definitely going to help this team, he’s going to make shots, he’s going to defend. It’s fun to have him back. It’s fun to see him out there competing hard.”

D.J. Wilson, DiVincenzo's closest friend on the team, spent plenty of time with DiVincenzo during the summer both on and off the court. The two picked up where they left off last season, laughing and joking around while also pushing each other to improve each day.

After a rookie season of his own that didn't go as expected, Wilson has even more respect for the way DiVincenzo handled the adversity he faced last year. During open gym sessions during the past month, it was clear to Wilson that DiVincenzo was back to being the player he was – and arguably better – than before his injury.

“That’s everything," Wilson said of DiVincenzo bouncing back. "He looks healthy, he’s been playing well. He’s had a great offseason just getting his body back together.

“I think open gyms leading up to coming out here he was just showcasing what he can do – shoot the ball, being athletic, playing gritty on defense, bringing what he does to the table. I mean, he’s been playing great.”

At Villanova, DiVincenzo's bounce-back from injury culminated in a storybook ending as the Wildcats won the national title two years later with DiVincenzo earning recognition as the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. That vaulted him to the 17th pick in the 2018 draft and his new home with the Bucks.

With the rookie-year injury now behind him, DiVincenzo hopes his NBA journey can continue to mirror that of his college days.