Tag: Spencer Dinwiddie

Darvin Ham praises Spencer Dinwiddie after big game vs. Pacers

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has been in veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie’s corner, even while Dinwiddie struggled after joining the team.

When D’Angelo Russell was ruled out for the Los Angeles Lakers before their game on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers, it was clear they would be at a significant disadvantage.

Russell has averaged 21.8 points and 6.6 assists while shooting 45.1% from 3-point range in his last 30 games. Clearly, at least one player needed to step up.

Spencer Dinwiddie took Russell’s place in the starting lineup on Sunday. If one were asked what an ideal performance from Dinwiddie would look like in such a situation, well, that’s exactly what Dinwiddie provided.

He scored 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line while dishing five assists and blocking two shots. He also played excellent defense on Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton and helped hold Haliburton to 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting.

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham talked about Dinwiddie’s big game and praised his mindset after the win over Indiana (at 2:02).

Ham mentioned how Dinwiddie’s teammates have been encouraging the veteran guard to be aggressive. While he struggled in his first few weeks with L.A., he has made 48.1% of his 3-point shots in his last 11 contests.

In addition, he has played some very strong on-the-ball defense. On Friday, he helped harass Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey into 10-of-26 shooting in a 101-94 Lakers win.

Perhaps the decision to sign Dinwiddie from the buyout market in late February is starting to pay off.

Former Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie has interesting comments about Nets stint

Los Angeles Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie had some interesting comments about what came from his time with the Brooklyn Nets this season.

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.

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Spencer Dinwiddie is already helping Austin Reaves to play better

A byproduct of Spencer Dinwiddie being a Laker is the fact that he’s already making life easier for Austin Reaves.

Last season, Austin Reaves was one of the NBA’s breakout studs. He quickly started to realize his potential in just his second season, and in doing so, he played a key role in helping the Los Angeles Lakers reach the Western Conference Finals.

It led to some predicting an All-Star selection or two for him in the near future. But this season, his efficiency has declined, while he has been exposed on the defensive end. The Lakers have played him quite a bit at point guard this season, something he never did last season, and it became clear that he isn’t a natural point guard.

But two weeks ago, they signed guard Spencer Dinwiddie from the buyout market. Dinwiddie is a natural ball-handling and facilitating guard, and it was projected that he would make life easier for Reaves in particular.

While Dinwiddie is still getting his feet wet as a member of the Purple and Gold, he has allowed Reaves to benefit from his presence.

Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT, a physical therapist and strength and conditioning coach who is a huge Lakers fan (and has his own YouTube channel), explained how Reaves has been aided by the team’s newest addition.

Rajon Rondo on how Spencer Dinwiddie will help LeBron James and the Lakers

Former Laker Rajon Rondo feels good about the team’s addition of veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie and how he will help his new teammates.

Four seasons ago, Rajon Rondo was a key member of a Los Angeles Lakers team that won the NBA championship. He played with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the veteran point guard came off the bench to supply pace, ball-handling, facilitating and even some occasional scoring.

The Lakers recently picked up Spencer Dinwiddie from the buyout market in the hopes he will play a similar role. In two games, he has shown some promise, and many believe he has been a very solid pickup, at least so far.

Besides his individual production, Dinwiddie’s greatest value is his ability to take pressure off his teammates. Rondo told Rachel Nichols on “Bully Ball” how Dinwiddie will help in that area (h/t Lakers Nation).

“I think he’s OK with what he has,” Rondo said of James. “He might have expressed his unhappiness or whatever he was thinking at the time but, you know, that’s Bron. He puts pressure on his teammates and if you can’t take it, he kind of fizzles those guys out. He’s very calculated in everything he does and he’s well-aware of what’s happening within the organization. Bron not trying to carry the entire load playing over 35 plus minutes a game. I think a guy like Spencer can give Bron a little more breathing room to sit on the bench and keep his composure and gain his strength and energy back.

“I can see the lineup finishing with Spencer, Bron, AD, DLo (D’Angelo Russell) and Austin Reaves. That can be a tough lineup to switch or try to double team the way AD’s passing out of the double this year is night and day since I played with him. I think Bron will be OK with at the end of the day what happened. Whatever cards he has, he’s going to play ‘em and he’s going to play them to the best of his ability.”

James expressed some unhappiness in his usual passive-aggressive manner prior to the trade deadline. In fact, two NBA teams tried to trade for him, only to be shot down.

But James said this weekend he would like to remain a Laker past this season, while Rich Paul, his agent, said he’s committed to the Lakers.

If Dinwiddie plays well and is also retained by the team past this season, it could help James’ chances of remaining with the Purple and Gold.

Spencer Dinwiddie on his first Lakers game and the L.A. crowd

New Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie showed his appreciation for playing in front of his hometown crowd in his debut.

The Los Angeles Lakers downed the struggling Detroit Pistons with relative ease on Tuesday, 125-111. It was a fairly uneventful victory, and the Lakers have won seven of their last 10 games and totally turned around their formerly anemic offense.

It was also the debut of veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie in a purple and gold uniform. Dinwiddie was signed from the buyout market on Saturday, and while it wasn’t an efficient night offensively for him, he had seven assists in 31 minutes.

He is originally from the greater Los Angeles area, and he showed his appreciation for the Lakers fan base after the game. He also reflected on his play and talked about both the good and bad.

Right away, it is clear Dinwiddie can significantly help the Lakers, even if his shooting efficiency is going to be up and down. He can take pressure off players such as LeBron James and Austin Reaves by taking on ball-handling and facilitating duties while helping to trim James’ workload a little.

Spencer Dinwiddie on his role and fit with the Lakers

It looks like new Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie has a clear idea of what his role will be on his new team.

The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to debut veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie, whom they signed from the buyout market, on Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons.

Dinwiddie brings an interesting set of skills to the table. While he can be a very inefficient shooter at times, he has also been solid as a catch-and-shoot player, and he can put pressure on opposing defenses by penetrating and hitting the open man.

He might even be able to help them a bit on the defensive end, as he has good size for a guard at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.

It looks like he has a clear idea of what his role will be in L.A.

Via The Athletic:

“Get downhill, provide rim pressure, point of attack defense and also wing defense depending on the lineup, there’s switchability there,” Dinwiddie said when asked what his role will be. “Just come in and be aggressive, set a ton and play with high IQ. In this situation, it’s more about plugging in than dominating or something, so that’s the mentality.

“The thing I haven’t done well throughout my career is shoot off the dribble, contested, poor shot quality 3s. In some situations, I’ve been forced to do some of that in a higher percentage than good looks. So it affected overall percentage and sometimes it becomes a misnomer,” Dinwiddie said. “So the better quality looks and the more good quality looks versus bad quality looks (give me) the utmost confidence in being a big-time shot maker for this team.”

Dinwiddie has shot just 33.1% from 3-point range for his career. However, as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, he was at just over 40% from that distance, as playing alongside Luka Doncic helped him get good looks off the ball.

Playing next to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and D’Angelo Russell in Los Angeles could help him shoot a high percentage from downtown again, which would greatly help a Lakers team that lacks 3-point snipers.

Spencer Dinwiddie has a hilarious incentive in his new Lakers contract

New Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie explains a very odd incentive that is in his new contract.

Spencer Dinwiddie, the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers, agreed to join them on Saturday after the Toronto Raptors had waived him on Thursday. He will receive roughly $1.5 million for the rest of this season with L.A., which pales in comparison to the $20.35 million contract he had for this year until he was waived.

However, Dinwiddie does have a bonus in his new Lakers contract he can earn — sort of.

If the Lakers win the NBA championship this season, he will earn an extra $1. That’s right — $1, or the equivalent of 100 pennies.

Dinwiddie said the incentive stems from a similar bonus he had on his last contract when he was sent to the Washington Wizards, a team that hasn’t won it all since 8-track tapes and Farrah Fawcett posters were still considered cool. He told the media it is an inside joke between him and his agent.

Dinwiddie seems to believe his new team has at least a puncher’s chance at winning the world title this summer. If the Lakers somehow claim the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June, he will become a little bit richer — technically speaking, at least.

Darvin Ham could use Spencer Dinwiddie in three-guard lineups

Lakers head coach Darvin Ham could reportedly use lineups with D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and newcomer Spencer Dinwiddie.

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.

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.

Spencer Dinwiddie: Lakers can rise to a level no other team can

Spencer Dinwiddie, whom the Lakers signed from the buyout market on Saturday, thinks highly of his new team’s potential.

This season was been a frustrating disappointment for the Los Angeles Lakers, but even though they hold a mediocre 28-26 record, they have had some moments of scattered excellence.

They won the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament with plenty of ease, and lately, they may be perking up again. They have won four of their last five games, and their offense has been putting up big numbers, both in terms of points and efficiency, over the last few weeks.

The team has signed veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie after he was waived by the Toronto Raptors. While Dinwiddie has his flaws, he could also make a noticeable impact if he’s used properly.

He said L.A. is capable of rising “to a level that no other team can get to,” something which has happened at times this year (h/t Lakers Daily).

While the Lakers have lost many games to seemingly inferior teams, usually in blowout fashion, they have also defeated many teams with better records, including the Boston Celtics (without LeBron James and Anthony Davis), Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and New York Knicks.

That type of team has to be taken seriously as long as it manages to get hot down the stretch and make it to the playoffs in one piece, as the Lakers did last year. In fact, if it happens again, no one will want to face them in the postseason.

Via ESPN:

“I don’t want any piece of them in the playoffs,” a Western Conference executive told ESPN this week.

Between now and late March, only four of the Lakers’ next 17 games will take place away from Crypto.com Arena.

Five things to know about new Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie

Spencer Dinwiddie, the newest member of the Lakers, may not be a star, but he has the potential to make a positive impact.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t make a trade before this season’s trade deadline. But they added a quality player to their roster via the buyout market in veteran guard Spencer Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie, 30, was traded by the Brooklyn Nets to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday just prior to the deadline. The Raptors instantly waived him, setting the scene for L.A. to nab him on Saturday once he cleared waivers.

It’s possible the 6-foot-5, 215-pound man may not make much of a positive impact. But given his talent and skills, he could end up being an X-factor as the Lakers look to make another late-season run and reach the playoffs.

Here are five things fans should know about Dinwiddie.