Luka Doncic's injury will reveal if key reserve steps up or becomes trade bait

The wrist sprain to Luka Doncic that he suffered during Tuesday night's game against the New Orleans Pelicans changes the dynamic for the Dallas Mavericks for at least one week.

Recent criticism has risen regarding the defense of Doncic, and how his play can sometimes affect the team in a negative way. Questions will be answered such as how the defense can play as Doncic is gone.

Another question will be answered regarding how players step up in Doncic's absence.

Dinwiddie could become trade bait if he struggles in Doncic's absence

Spencer Dinwiddie had been a go-to guy for the Mavs once before. He was an important shot-making piece back in the 2022 playoffs. Dinwiddie shot the rock at 46 percent and shot 41 percent from beyond the arc. He performed with some of his best numbers in a Maverick uniform, averaging 17.7 points in the 2021-22 season.

It should be noted that the Mavericks' depth chart back in early 2022 was figuring itself out. The roster was designed for Dinwiddie to play big minutes and even start when needed.

Fans won't forget about when Doncic and Dinwiddie were the first pair of teammates to have 30 or more points and five or more made 3-pointers in a Game 7 as Dallas destroyed the Phoenix Suns on the road.

Fast forward to late 2024, and the roster has younger wings and forwards who can play more effective minutes. It's not Dinwiddie's fault that Quentin Grimes, Naji Marshall, and Klay Thompson have taken his minutes from two years back. The good news for Dinwiddie is, the next few games will be his opportunity to get back in the rotation.

At 31 years old, Dinwiddie definitely has plenty of juice in the tank. This is not to say that he's on a short leash, but he should use Doncic's injury as a chip on his shoulder to prove that he belongs in the rotation even after Doncic returns.

In a close victory against Oklahoma City, Dinwiddie only had 10 points, but came through in a large part for his team by hitting two shots from beyond the arc.

Mavericks fans probably won't see the same consistent Dinwiddie they saw two years ago in their journey to the Western Conference Finals, but he can still make for excellent minutes when they need him to hit key shots in the second half.

For the organization, the question is, will his shotmaking skill be enough to maintain his spot on the team?

That's up to Dinwiddie over the next few games to get his shot going. As someone who's averaging 4.1 points in 16.8 minutes per game, he's got a lot of ground to make up, and he can only do that if he takes advantage of Doncic's injury.

Nico Harrison's job will be to evaluate Dinwiddie to find out if he can make use of his minutes. It's pretty simple, you make shots, you keep your job, if not, it might be time to shop and look elsewhere.