Spencer Dinwiddie finished fourth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting last season and early this season is making another strong case, even as he’s started each of the last eight games for the Brooklyn Nets while Kyrie Irving has been out with a right shoulder impingement.
Dinwiddie is averaging 20.2 points, 5.9 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 28.8 minutes per game this season, while shooting 41.8 percent overall and 31.6 percent on 6.0 3-point attempts a night.
But his aggressiveness to the rim continues to pay off, as he’s shooting a career-high 86.7 percent on a career-best 6.3 free throw attempts per game.
In the first 11 games, as a reserve, Dinwiddie had averaged 17.1 points, 4.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per game, shooting 41.2 percent overall and 29.5 percent on 5.5 deep tries a game.
That 17.1 points per game ranks fourth in the NBA among the early qualifiers for Sixth Man honors. Ultimately, Dinwiddie’s candidacy in this race could hinge upon Irving’s health. At this rate, Dinwiddie would hit the half-and-half mark in starts and relief appearances on Friday when the Nets play at Charlotte.