Spencer Dinwiddie was the Brooklyn Nets’ most-trusted floor general during the second half of last season. Fast forward to the first half of 2023-24, and he was an afterthought.
The current Los Angeles Lakers point guard’s disappearance in Brooklyn’s offense this year was so glaring that ESPN’s Zach Lowe said it looked like “he was on strike.” Nets fans took notice, leading Dinwiddie to defend himself on Twitter.
The 30-year-old was eventually traded to the Toronto Raptors for Dennis Schroder at the deadline. He was then waived and signed with the Los Angeles Lakers soon after. Ahead of his return to Brooklyn for Sunday’s Nets-Lakers matchup, Dinwiddie didn’t hold back when asked if he felt anything was mischaracterized about his exit.
“Everything. Every single thing,” he replied. “I mean, I know you guys obviously have a job to do, and I know that people say what they say from other places, whether it be organization, other positions, or whatever. So sometimes, as a player, things get mischaracterized or your voice gets drowned out. That’s just kind of the situation I ended up in.”
Dinwiddie takes a backseat to younger scorers
Despite ranking fifth in the NBA in assists (9.1 per game) after joining the Nets in a trade for Kyrie Irving last season, Dinwiddie took a backseat to Ben Simmons at point guard to start 2023-24. However, Simmons played just six games before being sidelined by a back injury, thrusting Dinwiddie back into a lead ball-handling role.
He was productive during a two-week stretch in December, averaging 7.8 assists per game, the 11th-most in the league. His 3.89 assist-to-turnover ratio during that span ranked sixth among 19 players averaging seven or more assists.
However, Dinwiddie faded into the background as the season progressed, with Brooklyn prioritizing Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas as lead ball-handlers. The new pecking order was so pronounced that he was “essentially told no pick-and-rolls or isolations” on offense, according to the Athletic’s Shams Charania.
“I mean, every organization goes the direction they wanna go,” he said when asked if he was surprised Brooklyn didn’t prioritize him more this season. “They feel they’re gonna do the best job they can do for the fans. I just hope that they continue to do what they feel is best for the Brooklyn Nets fans.”
Lakers’ Dinwiddie defends his production in Brooklyn
Despite the criticisms of his buy-in this year, Dinwiddie spoke proudly about what he accomplished during his second stint in Brooklyn.