The Nets have played well as a collective unit without Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert, but there have been two players leading Brooklyn during this stretch: Spencer Dinwiddie and Jarrett Allen.
While The Fro has been a double-double machine, everything starts and ends with Dinwiddie — which he proved once again on Sunday, when he scored the game-winning basket in his 24-point performance as the Nets beat the Denver Nuggets 105-102.
Dinwiddie’s combination of explosiveness and feel on the drive is what makes him such a handful. He can do it all — and opponents have no idea if he’s going to kick it out to the perimeter, shoot or toss a lob to Allen or DeAndre Jordan.
Dinwiddie’s burst is what jumps out to Kenny Atkinson first. But he explained to reporters on Sunday how the point guard has evolved as a passer:
It’s like having an elite running if you’re an NFL coach. Like, you can just pitch it to him and he can go get a bucket. And I think he’s really getting better at reading the game. His lobs are getting better. Reading when they double team him. He’s really taken another step as a player. But when he can speed downhill, he’s basically unstoppable.
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