Brooklyn Nets: Spencer Dinwiddie is ready to shine

The Brooklyn Nets will be without D’Angelo Russell for the foreseeable future after he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. The stage is set for new starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie to showcase his true value on a rebuilding team.

I’m sure we’ve all learned at some point throughout our lives that life doesn’t always go according to plan. Unless you’ve literally been living under a rock or are currently an infant (kudos to you for finding this article if that really is the case!) then the idea is a relatable one. And like all of us, the Brooklyn Nets are trying to roll with the punches.

Starting point guard Jeremy Lin wasn’t supposed to rupture his patella tendon three and a half quarters into the season. D’Angelo Russell was supposed to take the reins of Kenny Atkinson’s fast-paced offense and showcase the potential superstar talent Brooklyn’s front office saw in him during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers.

But remember the whole life not going as planned thing?

Instead, Lin will miss the entire season. Russell had arthroscopic knee surgery last Friday to “remove a lose body” from his left knee, according to general manager Sean Marks. There is no timetable for his return.

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While injuries are obviously unfortunate, they provide opportunities for others to step up. Brooklyn is now asking fourth-year pro Spencer Dinwiddie to answer the call.

Dinwiddie was drafted 38th overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2014, and spent two years between the Pistons and their D-League affiliate Grand Rapids Drive. He was then traded to the Chicago Bulls in June of 2016, but was waived four months later after only playing five preseason games.

Dinwiddie finally found a home in December of 2016 when he signed with Brooklyn. In the remaining 59 games of the 2016-17 campaign, he averaged 22.6 minutes per game with 7.3 points on 44.4 percent shooting.

Since coming to Brooklyn, Dinwiddie has proven to be productive. He saw consistent minutes six games into his Nets debut, his role within the team has slowly evolved, and he fits well into Kenny Atkinson’s offensive system.

Now that Dinwiddie is taking on a larger role, we’re starting to see a more established play style. He’s very good at creating for himself off the dribble, he’s becoming a better distributor and he likes to shoot the 3-ball.

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Here’s a perfect example of his ability to create space and facilitate for a good looking bucket. Since he took over the starting role three games ago in Boston, he’s averaging 19.3 points, 9.0 assists on 8.0 attempted 3-pointers per game. The boost in stats can be attributed to more than just an increase in minutes. Dinwiddie has taken command of the offense, playing with a level of confidence we haven’t seen from him before. It couldn’t have come at a better time either.

The stage is set for Spencer Dinwiddie to make a real name for himself. He’s playing for a rebuilding team that is in a position to stockpile all the talent it can and to be honest, expectations are relatively low. The longer he’s able to keep this kind of production up while given the opportunity to log 30+ minutes a night, the better his 2019 contract would presumably look.

He’s only scheduled to make $3.2 million over the next two years and would then become an unrestricted free agent. At this rate he won’t have to worry about IF he’ll be on a team in two years, but where and for how much.

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While this scenario might not have been something he had planned, it’s everything he’s been working for. The pieces are in place for Spencer Dinwiddie to make a name for himself.

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