Exploring why Spencer Dinwiddie, while a solid player, might be part of the Brooklyn Nets’ problems rather than part of their solution
If you watch the Brooklyn Nets you will hear the announcers roar and boast about Spencer Dinwiddie. His heroics, how he helped them claw back from defeat.
The true reality is that Dinwiddie is holding them back. He’s a very flawed player, who by being on a team that is always a year away gets the benefit of the doubt.
The Nets just had an embarrassing collapse and overtime loss against an Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns-less Minnesota Timberwolves team.
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Spencer Dinwiddie was 12-31 and scored 36 points in that game, a performance that only Russell Westbrook would be proud of.
In regulation, he ended the final four minutes by missing two key free throws, missing two layups and had a bad turnover down the stretch. All while allowing Shabazz Napier to look his former vintage UConn Huskie-self.
Spencer Dinwiddie is a decent player who is allowed to do whatever he wants. That’s where the problem lies. If you look through his game logs you will see many suboptimal shooting performances.
Dinwiddie only shoots 42.8 percent from the field and 29.8 percent from 3-point range. He takes 17.4 shots a game and 6.4 3’s with it.
Dinwiddie also boasts the 10th highest usage rate (31.5 percent) in the NBA – ahead of Donovan Mitchell and LeBron James. Dinwiddie has a 0.7 VORP (value over replacement player) and an offensive rating of 111 and a defensive rating of 110.
Dinwiddie is a poor defender, often letting opposing guards go right by him. He owns a -2.1 defensive box plus/minus
Many will say that Spencer Dinwiddie is a clutch player. That is true; he does hit some go-ahead shots or game-winners. The problem is his lack of decision-making has often led to the Nets falling behind in the games. This means the team is just regaining control of a game they should already be winning.
Dinwiddie plays like he is an All-Star when in reality he is nothing more than a role player who has been allowed to take control of a team while the real superstars recover from injury.
If the Brooklyn Nets want to win more games once Kyrie is healthy, they should move Dinwiddie to the bench and allow him to be the 6th man. Having him shoot you out of the game is not a fun way to go down.