The Brooklyn Nets have not played well after they began this season with a 13-10 start and at this point, they are in grave danger of missing the playoffs entirely. One of the players who was in Brooklyn prior to the trade deadline, Los Angeles Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie, had some interesting things to say about his time with the Nets this season.
Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, when asked about how he is embracing being a role player with the Lakers, Dinwiddie said that he feels that his time in Brooklyn this season has put himself “in this box” when it comes to what he can contribute to a playoff team. Dinwiddie found his way to the Lakers after being traded by the Nets to the Toronto Raptors at the February trade deadline.
The Raptors bought out Dinwiddie, meaning that he was free to sign with any team and he chose the Lakers. In 16 games with the Lakers, Dinwiddie is averaging 5.0 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 35.6% from the field and is interestingly shooting the same percentage from three-point land in 23.3 minutes per game.
Dinwiddie’s time in Brooklyn this season was complicated given that there were rumors of him being dissatisfied with his role as the Nets were trying to prioritize Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas within the offense. There was also the belief by some that Dinwiddie had lost a step after averaging 12.6 points and 6.0 assists per game while shooting just 39.1% from the field and 32.0% from deep.
At times, it seemed that Dinwiddie would pick his spots in which he decided to assert himself on the game which led some to wonder why that was the case. Either way, whether Brooklyn is to blame for Dinwiddie’s reduced role with the Lakers is a subject for another day. What is certain is that Dinwiddie remains confident in himself.
Spencer Dinwiddie on embracing role-player duties in LA: "Obviously, the way shit shook out in Brooklyn kind of put me more so in this box than my game being in that box. It's not like I'm 35 or coming off injury or washed or anything. … Like, I'm one of them guys. Let's not…
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 18, 2024
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