How Spencer Dinwiddie can unlock the Mavericks offense

Spencer Dinwiddie can unlock the Dallas Mavericks offense by getting into the paint

Dinwiddie averaged 20.6 points per game during the 2019-2020 season as he lifted the Nets to the playoffs without Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The 6’5 guard did it by attacking. He averaged 10.5 points per game off 17.1 drives. Dinwiddie finished tenth in the NBA in points off drives per game and nine in drives.

The newest Mavericks also shot 60.1 percent in the restricted area during that season with 36.3 percent of his attempts coming from that zone. Can he replicate those numbers in Dallas?

This season, Dinwiddie is averaging just 5.7 points per game off 10.3 drives and only 18.3 percent of his field-goal attempts have come within the restricted area. The 28-year-old is just over one year removed from having his ACL repaired, which has potentially sapped some of his burst and quickness.

Dinwiddie does well at hunting mismatches, and fans know the defensive attention will be on superstar Luka Doncic. Fans could see plenty of plays like this one while Dinwiddie is wearing Mavericks blue.

He blew past Matisse Thybulle, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, in the clip above, and Joel Embiid could not rotate over fast enough to contest the shot at the rim. Spencer Dinwiddie’s size and ability to attack could be difference-making for the Dallas Mavericks.