I want the record to state that I was a fan of Spencer Dinwiddie last year. He was a huge part of the Nets’ success last year and was ready for him to be recognized by the league this year….until Kyrie Irving signed with the Nets. When Kyrie Irving plays, he usually plays around 25 minutes, but since he has been injured, Dinwiddie has been playing starter minutes. In the 5 games that Kyrie Irving has been injured, Dinwiddie has averaged 25 points and 6.2 assists. The offense has looked smoother with Dinwiddie on the court even though it has not been statistically better. (Stats aren’t everything though) Kenny Atkinson, Head Coach of the Nets, has taken noticed and commends Spencer Dinwiddie. Quote via Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
Difference-maker right now,” Kenny Atkinson said of Dinwiddie. “They were double-teaming him all night. … He did a good job getting it out, exploiting the mismatch. What he’s also doing, he’s doing it on both ends, on the defensive end, too. … He’s playing really good basketball…
“Kyrie is still learning exactly what we want to do. Spencer’s got a little more corporate knowledge,” Atkinson said. “It’s going to take time for Kyrie to completely understand what we’re doing on both sides of the ball. That being said, for not understanding he’s been pretty darn good.”
While I commend Atkinson’s ability to masterfully avoiding any drama by mentioning Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving is a bit of a ball hog and a drama queen. That’s part of the reason why the Nets haven’t had much success yet. Spencer Dinwiddie has played under this system and knows how to execute it, that is why the offense looks better right now without Kyrie. Even though Kyrie is more talented, if he can’t do the system, it won’t be any good for the Nets.
If Spencer Dinwiddie continues to play well, it will be hard to deny him the minutes he so rightfully deserves. He might want to leave and get minutes to win somewhere. But as of right now, he’s keeping the Nets afloat and he deserves the recognition he is finally getting.
