On Tuesday, Spencer Dinwiddie, a 30-year-old veteran guard, is expected to make his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers after they signed him on Saturday. He was waived by the Toronto Raptors on Thursday after they received him in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Thus L.A. may have gotten a quality player without giving up anything in return.
Dinwiddie isn’t the most efficient offensive player, at least in certain situations. But he should give the team a legitimate ball-handling and facilitating guard who can also score when needed. There is also reason to believe he can be an effective defender when motivated.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is reportedly considering playing Dinwiddie in three-guard lineups alongside D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves.
Darvin Ham says he thinks Spencer Dinwiddie’s size, on-ball defense and diverse offensive skill could put him closing lineups with DLo and Reaves at times. Lakers will look at three-guard lineups
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) February 12, 2024
Plenty of fans have criticized Ham for going with lineups that utilize three guards. Fortunately, Dinwiddie is 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, so perhaps the team could get away with Russell, Reaves and Dinwiddie playing together in small doses.