Mavericks have an unavoidable Spencer Dinwiddie problem that must be fixed ASAP

The Dallas Mavericks are in the midst of their worst stretch this season, as the Mavericks have borne the burden of bad luck throughout the last month or so. Luka Doncic has been out since Christmas due to a calf strain, and Kyrie Irving is still ailing from a bulging disk in his back that caused him to miss four straight games.

To make matters worse, Dallas has gone 2-8 in their last 10 contests and were snubbed of a victory against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday evening due to a missed goaltending call on an attempted Spencer Dinwiddie layup, and it feels like the Mavericks have been treading water for weeks at the point.

Make no mistake about it, despite falling to the seventh seed in the Western Conference with a record of 22-19 at the halfway mark of the season, this Mavericks team still has plenty of time to gear up for another long playoff run if things go according to plan. Dallas could easily start to rattle off some wins before the All-Star break and turn this whole ship around, but they would undoubtedly need Doncic and Irving back in the lineup and playing well together, as well as potentially a trade for another defensive-oriented wing or big man.

Even though Dallas' depth is far thinner compared to at the start of the season, they still have to try everything in their power to maximize their current rotation until their lineup gets bolstered once again, as the NBA schedule clearly isn't forgiving toward any of Dallas' problems. One way that the Mavericks and head coach Jason Kidd could improve their rotation, even for the current time being, would be to play Spencer Dinwiddie less in late-game scenarios.

Dinwiddie hasn't earned trust in late-game scenarios this season

During the fourth quarter of Dallas' loss to New Orleans on Wednesday, Dinwiddie repeatedly dribbled the ball deep into the shot clock only to hoist contested side-step and step-back 3-pointers on multiple occasions. Don't get it twisted, Dinwiddie has had his moments where he's been a prime source of offense for the Mavericks off the bench this season, particularly when his 3-ball is going in.

However, Dinwiddie has been far more inefficient throughout this go around with the Mavericks compared to his first tenure here, and he's been practically unplayable in clutch and late-game scenarios. Obviously, the Mavericks are missing some pieces in their lineup, which is a big factor as to why Dinwiddie has played in so many clutch contests recently, but Dinwiddie shouldn't have been playing late in the contest against the Pelicans regardless given his countless terrible possessions.

In 12 games played during clutch time this season, Dinwiddie is shooting 29.4 percent from the floor and 16.7 percent from beyond the arc, and he almost seems like he's tensed up from a shot creation perspective throughout some of the more crucial late-game moments this season. While the likes of Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy haven't had perfect seasons by any stretch of the imagination and aren't as solid of facilitators as Dinwiddie is, they are both younger and more explosive guards that have been far more efficient as of recent compared to Dinwiddie and one of them should've taken Dinwiddie's spot late in the game on Wednesday evening.

Kidd seems like he has a tendency to lean on having at least one traditional point guard in the games at all times and he coveted Dinwiddie during his first tenure with the Mavs, so these factors could provide an explanation as to why Dinwiddie has gotten such a long leash from Kidd. Dinwiddie can still help the Mavericks in spurts, especially when they are going against a team with a ton of perimeter defense, but he needs a reduced role and shouldn't be playing deep into clutch time any longer, especially with Dante Exum expected to make a return soon.