'Rolling the Dice': Mavs 'Gamble' on Spencer Dinwiddie is Already Paying Off
"He looks like a shell of his former self, and his teammates don't want him there.”
Those were the words written by The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor in January about Spencer Dinwiddie’s situation with the Washington Wizards. Either the grass truly is greener in Dallas, or the Wizards need to deep clean their locker room.
Dinwiddie produced a signature performance on Sunday evening with 24 bench points in a comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors. Not only did the Dallas Mavericks want him in a trade that sent Kristaps Porzingis to Washington, but they also needed Dinwiddie to complete a 19-point fourth-quarter resurgence against the league’s best defense.
Dinwiddie is showing promise through his first four games with his new team, but what does his future look like with the Dallas Mavericks?
Dinwiddie shot 10-14 from the field, including a 2-4 mark from the three-point line, and led both teams with a +17 boxscore plus-minus. Playing all 12 minutes in the final quarter, he led the team with 10 points in the period.
Aside from the apparent importance of his play, Dinwiddie's on-court leadership spoke volumes on a night where the Mavs could have easily packed it up mentally. Dallas dropped their 19-point deficit to four points before Doncic stepped back on the court in the fourth quarter. Without Dinwiddie, a blowout loss was in play.
Following the Porzingis trade, Mavs GM Nico Harrison spoke with DallasBasketball.com's Dalton Trigg, explaining why he traded for Dinwiddie and Bertans.
"When a team’s not playing up to their capabilities, then you start seeing that the players aren’t playing up to their capabilities as well," said Harrison.
"It’s like hey, who’s a guy who maybe you value him more than his team does right now because they’re not winning. And then, can you put them on our team with J-Kidd and the players that we have surrounding them, and does that help them get back to the level that we expect them to play at? That’s kind of what we gambled in this case.”
The Mavs rolling those dice has paid off so far, but Harrison also dished on how the move provided Dallas with more than just on-court flexibility.
“Absolutely. There’s no question," said Harrison when asked if Dinwiddie and Bertans' contracts could potentially be easier to trade later than Porzingis' $30+ million contract.
"We’ve been saying it gives us depth and flexibility, and the flexibility comes in different ways. Not just with your roster, but with potential moves down the road.”
But what if Dinwiddie ends up not being included in a future package for the Mavs' coveted second star? While retaining Jalen Brunson via free agency remains a top priority for Dallas, it's plausible that the Mavs could re-sign Brunson, then flip potentially flip him with other assets for a star-level player next season. Sooner or later, one has to believe that Dallas will appear on a star-level player's list of preferred destinations given how incredible Luka Doncic already is.
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
It's easy to assume one would be a 'prisoner of the moment' with such a thought, but look at Brunson's history against longer, more athletic backcourts. Last postseason, the 6-1 guard couldn't escape the lengthy wingspans of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Although Brunson's shooting percentages were efficient, his lack of shot attempts alluded to the idea that he can't create offense at a consistent rate against elite defenses. Brunson has earned the chance to prove everyone wrong this postseason, given how well he's played. But until that happens, there will always be doubts.
Dinwiddie, however, can create driving lines and is able to keep his dribble alive against the best defense in the NBA, as he showed us on Sunday. Meanwhile, Brunson failed to create space on the perimeter vs. a lumbering Kevon Looney. Without completely damning Brunson for a few flaws, recent history speaks for itself.
To Brunson's credit, he has improved his ball-handling and creativity with his mid-range game. Again, though, in terms of manifesting easier looks against longer defenses, Brunson's game leans towards tough finishes over defenders.
"On this team, everyone knows their roles and knows what they're good at", Dinwiddie said in the postgame presser after Sunday's game. "Obviously because we’re winning, everything is optimistic and happy, so I accept the praise, but it’s much more a credit to (Jason Kidd), Luka (Doncic) and (Jalen Brunson) helping me."
For now, the seven-year guard's role with Dallas is being the main secondary creator off the bench. However, in light of Dinwiddie's confidence and veteran savvy, the lineups could change in the short term, especially given how well the three-man lineup of Doncic, Brunson and Dinwiddie has been in small sample sizes so far. We'll see how it all plays out in the final 20 games of the season.
