Dinwiddie 'Thankful' For Doncic's Trust as Mavs Keep Winning Big in Clutch
It's not an exaggeration at this point to say that the Dallas Mavericks have something special brewing with Spencer Dinwiddie, who continues to make clutch shot after clutch shot in crucial fourth-quarter situations. Was Mavs GM Nico Harrison's first NBA trade deadline even more clutch than the player he traded for?
On Sunday, with the Mavs and Boston Celtics tied at 92-apiece, a double-teamed Luka Doncic found Dinwiddie for what ended up being a game-winning 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining. On Wednesday, the Mavs were down 111-110 to the Brooklyn Nets with the final seconds ticking down. Again, just like in Boston, Doncic was doubled, and again, he dished the ball out to Dinwiddie beyond the arc, this time letting the shot fly as time expired.
Bang...
Dinwiddie nailed the buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send his former team packing and then immediately ran over to the front row to personally thank Harrison for taking a chance on him.
© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
"I saw Nico [Harrison], and I had that appreciation type of vibe," said Dinwiddie. "So I went over and celebrated with him because he pulled the trigger and made the trade. It's no secret that my reputation wasn't the greatest coming in [from Washington] on and off the court. People said I was the bad guy, people said I was washed after 30 games coming off an ACL [injury], which sucks, but Nico didn't have to have that faith, he didn't have to pull that trigger. Especially with a player the caliber of [Kristaps] Porzingis – All-Star caliber player."
Dinwiddie certainly isn't 'washed,' as he's averaging 17.9 points and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from deep though 12 games with the Mavs. Dallas is 10-2 during that span and threatening to grab home-court advantage in the playoffs for the first time since 2011. And although Dinwiddie referred to Porzingis as being an All-Star caliber player, Doncic thinks his new teammate is actually playing on that level right now.
"Same [play] as Boston," said Doncic of Dinwiddie's game-winner to beat the Nets. "He's been playing like an All-Star."
Dinwiddie has been appreciative of all the love he's received from everyone on the Mavs from day one, but the thing he's most grateful for is how quickly he's been able to capture the trust of the franchise's 23-year-old superstar player.
"I'm thankful for Luka [Doncic] trusting me," said Dinwiddie after the euphoric win. "It's a credit to him. As a superstar, you can make people feel wanted, not wanted. Trusted or not trusted. ... I think there was a time period before my shot [tonight] when I had the most game winning shots in the league."
Dinwiddie is one of only three players — including Nikola Jokic and DeMar DeRozan — to have at least six go-ahead shots in the final 10 seconds of games over the last five seasons. With that in mind, it's crazy to think that Dinwiddie's teammates in Washington were supposedly encouraging him to be less involved. That is not the case in Dallas, though, as Dinwiddie has quickly won the admiration from the team's leader and the fan base as well.
“All of us have a lot of trust and confidence in each other,” said Mavs guard Jalen Brunson. “I try and feed off of [Doncic and Dinwiddie]. I try to play my game. I think it's been working pretty well recently.
"[Dinwiddie’s] been great. Guys have accepted him with open arms."
For the longest time before the trade for Dinwiddie went down, the Mavs had a big need for secondary-playmaking next to Doncic. As good as the Mavs were at times, whether Porzingis was healthy or not, their offense still had a tendency to bog down in clutch situations with Doncic having to orchestrate everything himself.
The Mavs have been the best clutch team in the league since acquiring Dinwiddie, though, posting a 8-1 clutch record in games he’s played. Before the trade, the Mavs were 12-15 in clutch games.
Although there wasn't necessarily any animosity between Doncic and Porzingis, there wasn't really that same sense of trust that we've seen so far with Doncic and Dinwiddie either. That's not a knock on Porzingis, but it's just easier to trust a player that is both fully accepting of his secondary role and able to create offense without having to be set up for success. Not only has Dinwiddie made the Mavs a more dangerous team overall, but he may have unlocked a new level of 'Luka Magic,' as Doncic is averaging 32 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the 11 games he's played with his new teammate.
"I think when we add another piece like Spencer [Dinwiddie], who is not afraid, as we see, it just makes you that much stronger," said coach Jason Kidd. "We know the ball is going to be in Luka's hands. ... He did the hard part. It's hard sometimes to trust [if someone] can make a shot.
"I think our growth all season on this journey, you can see our team is growing and maturing and trusting."
Can this new, mature and trustful Mavs team finally get over the first-round playoff hump? We won’t have to wait long to find out, as the postseason is less than a month away.
