Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie is one of the players that Brooklyn will be depending on to play well enough to help the team get to the playoffs and beyond. However, for him to do it this time, he will have to make an impact in a role that isn’t new to him, but will be a new style of play for him on this roster.
When Dinwiddie came to Brooklyn from the Dallas Mavericks last season as a result of the Kyrie Irving trade, he went from being an off-guard with Luka Doncic to being the lead guard for the Nets. Dinwiddie was effective in distributing the ball as he averaged 9.1 assists per game for Brooklyn last season, good for fourth in the league if done for the entire season.
For Dinwiddie, with the ball in his hands, his passing numbers went up as his overall scoring efficiency went down. Dinwiddie has shot 41.7% from the field and 33.3% from deep for his career, but last season, he shot just 40.4% and 28.9%, respectively.
Now that Ben Simmons is healthy and able to be the point guard for the Nets, Dinwiddie, the 38th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, has shifted to playing off the ball more and his shooting numbers are looking much better. Dinwiddie was asked after scoring 15 points in Thursday’s preseason game how he adjusts to a different role and this is what he said:
“Basketball is basketball. I pride myself on being one of the more complete players in the league and (being) able to do a variety of different things. Whatever is asked of me, I try to do the best of my ability every night.”
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