NBA Draft: Re-drafting the 2014 NBA Draft’s first round

2014 NBA Redraft: 14. Spencer Dinwiddie, Phoenix Suns

Another late-round gem drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 38th overall pick, Spencer Dinwiddie’s journey to the present day is a remarkable story that speaks volumes to his work ethic and perseverance.

He played a combined 46 games in two seasons in the Motor City, splitting time between the pros and D-League. Dinwiddie was then traded to the Bulls in the summer of 2016 only to be waived, re-signed and the waived once again in late October of the same year.

It was upon arriving in New York to play with the Brooklyn Nets where Dinwiddie saw a revival to a nearly finished career. The Nets were in the midst of a brutal rebuild forged by the infamous draft-day trade with the Boston Celtics back in 2013 and were looking for any sources of talent they could get their hands on.

Brooklyn had won just 21 games the season before Dinwiddie’s arrival and figured it couldn’t hurt to take a flier on a 6’6” 23-year-old who had shown flashes in limited minutes with Detroit. What would follow in the coming years is a level of improvement not even the Nets thought would come to fruition.

He had his breakout campaign last season where he finished third in the voting for the Most Improved Player award. The 2018-19 campaign saw him go even further by averaging a career-high 16.8 points along with 4.6 assists per game in less than 30 minutes of nightly action as Brooklyn’s sixth man.

Dinwiddie was rewarded for his improved play with a three year $34 million contract extension to remain with the Nets. His length and pick-and-roll savvy have played a large part in the team’s unexpected resurgence, with the contract serving to validate his abilities after two other franchises failed to see it.