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DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks are dealing with a number of injuries in the NBA preseason. Players such as Luka Doncic and PJ Washington could return soon. However, guard Dante Exum is expected to miss around three months after undergoing wrist surgery. Other players such as Maxi Kleber and Kessler Edwards are also battling injury concerns, and Mavs head coach Jason Kidd hinted at a potential Spencer Dinwiddie role change amid all of the uncertainty.
“I think just his leadership… role acceptance, being here before. Now it (Dinwiddie's role) could change with health,” Kidd said after practice on Friday. “It would have changed, but now with some injuries his role could change… He can be a guy that comes off the bench to being a starter just because of health. But being a pro and being ready, those are the things that he can bring to the table.”
Dinwiddie has experience playing with the Mavs, as he last appeared in a game with the team during the 2022-23 season. He returned this offseason and is in a position to significantly impact the roster.
Spencer Dinwiddie addresses his role with the Mavericks
Dinwiddie made it clear that he is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win.
“I mean… Obviously coming here with losing in the Finals, you want to win a championship,” Dinwiddie said Friday. “We understand there needs to be great fortune, good health, all that stuff. We got to have the right chemistry… so it's not a sure-fire thing, but that is the overall goal. Anytime you're a vet merging into a group like that, understanding, like, how many gaps I can fill in, it's about the flexibility… You need me to be a 55-plus percent corner catch-and-three guy, well that's what I'm going to put a lot of focus into.
“If we're in a dry spell defensively and I need to pick up full court, I did some of that, too. If we're talking about attacking the basket or making reads and passing or whatever… I think that's kind of why they brought me back.”
Dinwiddie understands that he can offer versatility to the Mavs, a role he is seemingly willing to accept. He wants to help this team win a championship.
“It's… I don't want to say ace card because it's not an ace card,” Dinwiddie continued, “but it's just a card that you can kind of, in any facet of the game, you can kind of be like, ‘here you go.' You know what I'm saying? So I think that's what I'm looking forward to doing in the pursuit of winning a championship.”
Dinwiddie will play a pivotal role for the Mavericks as Dallas looks to win their first championship since 2011.
