Gauging the panic meter on 3 struggling Mavericks ahead of regular season

1. Spencer Dinwiddie

When the Mavericks brought back Spencer Dinwiddie, it sent excitement to the Mavericks fan base. Dinwiddie was a key piece to the Mavericks' run to the 2022 Western Conference Finals and had tons of exciting moments in Dallas.

Dinwiddie coming back to Dallas immediately made Mavs fans believe that he would pass many players in the rotation, but after the 2024 preseason, Dinwiddie might be one who could be used as trade bait and get fewer minutes than anyone expected. Dinwiddie being on a one-year contract this season does benefit Dallas considering he isn't locked up for a long time, but it is important that he performs better when he is on the floor.

In the 2024 preseason, Dinwiddie averaged 6.3 points per game and shot 8-27 (30 percent) from the field. That is not an impressive preseason, nor is it a preseason the Mavericks needed to get out of Dinwiddie.

Dinwiddie looked unplayable at times during the preseason and now may get his minutes significantly dropped by head coach Jason Kidd if he continues to struggle. When Dinwiddie gets hot, he has the ability to be a starter at the point guard position on any team. However, when Dinwiddie gets cold like he was the entire preseason for the Mavericks, he can be a burden to the offense.

Dinwiddie has always been an important role player off the bench for his entire career, but his preseason struggles are a major concern. Dinwiddie needs to be the perfect guard to come in for Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving when they need rest, but his preseason play impacted him in a rough way.

Everyone's role is going to look different once Doncic returns to the lineup, but Dinwiddie's play was worse than expected.

Panic meter - 8