The 2018 NBA Manifesto
Spencer Dinwiddie
PG - 6’6, 200lbs - 25 years old - 4 years of experience
Were it not for Indiana’s Darren Collison, Dinwiddie would have had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league. And were it not for Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, Dinwiddie may have been the 2018 Most Improved Player.
This was an excellent season for Dinwiddie, who started it on the fringes of the league and ended it on the fringes of an award. Completely unflashy, Dinwiddie was an incredibly solid lead guard all season, making shots, working the halfcourt, taking and making big shots, and being permanently reassuring whenever he was on the court. Doing it with changes of speed, IQ, savviness and subtlety rather than any great explosion and athleticism, Dinwiddie played with few weaknesses and a steadiness belying his relative inexperience. If there is a roster crunch at the lead guard spot now, it is because he earned his way into it.
Dinwiddie now needs to score better. He eschewed the mid-range in favour of threes and lay-ups, which is a good idea for any player to do unless they happen to have crafted a particularly good affinity and CV from the mid-range, yet work is needed at finishing from both. The Nets in particular are determined to build around the three-point shot, whereas Dinwiddie currently isn’t - considering the roster crunch, his potentially sub-optimal long term fit and his contractual situation (a big payday is coming soon) may precipitate him being traded away for future assets. He has played well enough to yield them.
But if he can shoot better? A Darren Collison career could be forthcoming. Which means so could Darren Collison money.
Player Plan: One unguaranteed minimum salary season remaining. Keep him on that, obviously, and consider trade possibilities. This may be as high as his value ever gets. To retain it going forward, he will need to be extended, but that will not be cheap to do after the season he just had. Dinwiddie, supposedly, turned down a three year, $18 million extension. And so he should have done.
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PG - 6’6, 200lbs - 25 years old - 4 years of experience
Were it not for Indiana’s Darren Collison, Dinwiddie would have had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league. And were it not for Indiana’s Victor Oladipo, Dinwiddie may have been the 2018 Most Improved Player.
This was an excellent season for Dinwiddie, who started it on the fringes of the league and ended it on the fringes of an award. Completely unflashy, Dinwiddie was an incredibly solid lead guard all season, making shots, working the halfcourt, taking and making big shots, and being permanently reassuring whenever he was on the court. Doing it with changes of speed, IQ, savviness and subtlety rather than any great explosion and athleticism, Dinwiddie played with few weaknesses and a steadiness belying his relative inexperience. If there is a roster crunch at the lead guard spot now, it is because he earned his way into it.
Dinwiddie now needs to score better. He eschewed the mid-range in favour of threes and lay-ups, which is a good idea for any player to do unless they happen to have crafted a particularly good affinity and CV from the mid-range, yet work is needed at finishing from both. The Nets in particular are determined to build around the three-point shot, whereas Dinwiddie currently isn’t - considering the roster crunch, his potentially sub-optimal long term fit and his contractual situation (a big payday is coming soon) may precipitate him being traded away for future assets. He has played well enough to yield them.
But if he can shoot better? A Darren Collison career could be forthcoming. Which means so could Darren Collison money.
Player Plan: One unguaranteed minimum salary season remaining. Keep him on that, obviously, and consider trade possibilities. This may be as high as his value ever gets. To retain it going forward, he will need to be extended, but that will not be cheap to do after the season he just had. Dinwiddie, supposedly, turned down a three year, $18 million extension. And so he should have done.
