Spencer Dinwiddie drops blunt take on Mavericks' unavoidable current problem

The Dallas Mavericks are in the midst of their most important stretch of their season with both Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving sidelined with injuries. Despite this, the team could finally be on the other end of this dark tunnel as Kyrie Irving was upgraded to questionable for Tuesday night's home game against the Denver Nuggets.

While the season has yet to reach the halfway mark, with the Mavericks only playing 39 games, they could be playing their most important game of the season against the Nuggets tonight. In Sunday's matinee game, the Mavs lost 112-101 after holding a double-digit lead for most of the game. With this loss, Tuesday's game against Denver became important due to playoff implications.

While one of Dallas' two superstars could be back on the court soon, the team has had to rely on other role players for creation and scoring during this multi-week stretch of starless basketball. With multiple role players sticking out above others, Spencer Dinwiddie has become an intricate playmaker in the Mavericks' offense.

With Dallas' two ball handlers out, Dinwiddie and Jaden Hardy have been asked to take the rock and create for others when needed. While Dinwiddie has had his ups and downs as a playmaker, it appears he has gotten comfortable in his starting role with Irving and Doncic out.

Dinwiddie admits to challenges of playing without Doncic and Irving

Since joining Dallas, Dinwiddie was brought in to be a primary creator off the bench. One of the major problems Dallas had in their run to the Finals was the lack of scoring outside of their two stars, which made Dinwiddie's signing one of the most important additions of the offseason.

In addition to scoring, Dinwiddie brings a veteran mindset that any team looking to make it deep in the playoffs needs on their roster. While Dinwiddie is generally known as a scorer, he has had to make the most of his other skillsets as a guard in Dallas.

Due to injuries and illnesses, the Mavericks have had to adapt to certain players' playing styles and Dinwiddie was no exception. His role since losing Doncic and Irving has been as a primary playmaking guard and getting others involved while also looking to score in certain scenarios.

While Dinwiddie has had his fair share of impressive offensive performances this season, the Mavericks may need to shift his role back to the bench before Doncic becomes fully healthy.

"Being consistent in an inconsistent environment is tough," Dinwiddie said. The 11-year guard also admitted to getting comfortable with Doncic and Irving out of the lineup due to the heavy offensive role he has had to take on.

Dinwiddie has been forced to take the challenge of playing without Doncic and Irving head-on, and he also knows that all of these injuries to different players only make things harder. He said he is getting many of the same looks consistently, and even though his stats have gone up, his role has changed significantly.

It's no secret Dinwiddie has had his moments as one of Dallas' lead ball handlers, but this is a role that he won't be expected to play when Irving and Doncic return to the team's lineup.

Over his last 10 games, Dinwiddie has averaged 13.2 points and 4.8 assists per game. While these are great splits for the 11-year pro, his role off the bench could be a little less important with the Maverick's current logjam at the guard position.

There's no doubt in fans' eyes that Dinwiddie is the leading candidate to emerge as the team's primary ball handler off the bench barring any injury. Despite this, he could very well lose his role just as fast as he gained it if he began to put up subpar numbers.