Spencer Dinwiddie was the Brooklyn Nets' most-trusted floor general during the second half of last season. Fast forward to the first half of 2023-24, and he was an afterthought. The current Los Angeles Lakers point guard's disappearance in Brooklyn's offense this year was so glaring that ESPN's Zach Lowe said it looked like “he was on strike.” Nets fans took notice, leading Dinwiddie to defend himself on Twitter.
The 30-year-old was eventually traded to the Toronto Raptors for Dennis Schroder at the deadline. He was then waived and signed with the Lakers soon after. Ahead of his return to Brooklyn for Sunday's Nets-Lakers matchup, Dinwiddie didn't hold back when asked if he felt anything was mischaracterized about his exit.
“Everything. Every single thing,” he replied. “I mean, I know you guys obviously have a job to do, and I know that people say what they say from other places, whether it be organization, other positions, or whatever. So sometimes, as a player, things get mischaracterized or your voice gets drowned out. That's just kind of the situation I ended up in.”
Spencer Dinwiddie when asked if anything was mischaracterized about his Nets exit:
"Everything. Every single thing… People say what they say… Sometimes as a player, things get mischaracterized or your voice gets drowned out. That's just kind of the situation I ended up in." pic.twitter.com/looAQ6ztYg
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 31, 2024
Dinwiddie takes a backseat to younger scorers
Despite ranking fifth in the NBA in assists (9.1 per game) after joining the Nets in a trade for Kyrie Irving last season, Dinwiddie took a backseat to Ben Simmons at point guard to start 2023-24. However, Simmons played just six games before being sidelined by a back injury, thrusting Dinwiddie back into a lead ball-handling role.
He was productive during a two-week stretch in December, averaging 7.8 assists per game, the 11th-most in the league. His 3.89 assist-to-turnover ratio during that span ranked sixth among 19 players averaging seven or more assists.
However, Dinwiddie faded into the background as the season progressed, with Brooklyn prioritizing Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas as lead ball-handlers. The new pecking order was so pronounced that he was “essentially told no pick-and-rolls or isolations” on offense, according to the Athletic's Shams Charania.
"(Spencer Dinwiddie) was essentially told in Brooklyn: No pick and rolls, no isolations." @ShamsCharania
"That's weird. That's what he does pretty good." @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/3Zl3mhXxzs
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 25, 2024
Dinwiddie averaged 9.5 points and 5.0 assists while attempting 7.7 shots per game, the fifth-most on the team, over his last 17 appearances.
“I mean, every organization goes the direction they wanna go,” he said when asked if he was surprised Brooklyn didn't prioritize him more this season. “They feel they’re gonna do the best job they can do for the fans. I just hope that they continue to do what they feel is best for the Brooklyn Nets fans.”
Lakers' Dinwiddie defends his production in Brooklyn
Despite the criticisms of his buy-in this year, Dinwiddie spoke proudly about what he accomplished during his second stint in Brooklyn.
“Beyond just being one of the top assists guys on the Nets, I was one of the top assists guys in the league,” he said. “I think I’m top 10 in clutch assists this year and have not had the volume of the other guys on the list, max players. Last year, when I came back, I led the league in assists in March; I was consistently three or four to one assist-to-turnover ratio… I think even when I left the Nets the most efficient offensive play that the team as a whole had was a Nic Claxton-Spencer Dinwiddie pick-and-roll.”
“So, you know, with some of these things, men lie, women lie, numbers don’t, you feel me? People can say what they wanna say about me… It is what it is.”
Spencer Dinwiddie on what he did for the Nets during his second stint:
“Beyond being one of the top assists guys on the Nets, I was one of the top assists guys in the league… Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t… People can say what they wanna say about me… It is what it is." pic.twitter.com/VHHul5Y82J
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 31, 2024
Dinwiddie has continued to play a complementary role with the Lakers, averaging 6.6 points and 2.7 assists on 38/37/83 shooting splits over 20 appearances. The Lakers sit in ninth place in the Western Conference standings with eight games remaining entering Sunday's matchup.
Meanwhile, the Nets have continued their freefall since the deadline, posting a 9-15 record. Brooklyn has posted the NBA's eighth-worst record this season (29-45) without control of its draft pick, which belongs to the Houston Rockets.
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