Dinwiddie reveals unavoidable harsh reality that's on way for Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have put themselves in an excellent position through this recent stretch, as they have propelled themselves to the third seed in the Western Conference by winning nine out of their last 10 contests. Dallas' most impressive victory of recent came on Tuesday night, as the Mavericks came back from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies to secure a wild card spot in the knockout rounds of the Emirates NBA Cup.

The Mavericks have gotten some massive contributions from their role players amidst injuries and illnesses in their rotation recently, which has been the difference in their elevation of play throughout the last 10 games. Some of Dallas' role players, such as P.J. Washington, were expected to ascend in their role heading into this season, and Washington is proving that prediction correct with his play on both ends recently.

However, others such as Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie, were not expected to contribute offensively at the level they've been playing at recently. Marshall has been outstanding with his in-between game and finishing ability, and Dinwiddie has been a clutch outside shooter who has also drawn fouls at a very high rate on his drives.

Dinwiddie is unsure if he'll remain in long-term rotation

Dinwiddie's recent contributions are even more unheralded than Marshall's or any other Maverick on the roster though, as Dinwiddie was coming off an up-and-down season with the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets, and looked horrendous throughout preseason and the first 10 games or so of this regular season.

However, Dinwiddie has elevated his shot creation ability right when Dallas has needed it the most amidst all the adversity they've faced in terms of availability in their rotation recently, and he's proving to be a valuable piece in this Mavericks rotation. Unfortunately for Dinwiddie though, he thinks his odds could turn for the worse, as he's unsure of what his standing in Dallas' rotation will look like once Dante Exum returns from injury and the Mavericks are fully healthy.

"It’s tough to say. You don’t even know if I’m gonna be playing when we’re fully healthy," Dinwiddie said in Dallas' postgame presser on Tuesday night. "I signed on to help a team win a championship in whatever form that is…Obviously I want to stay in the rotation, who wouldn’t."

Throughout Dallas' last five contests, Dinwiddie has averaged 17.2 points per game on 52/52/91.3 shooting splits, while playing an average of 31.5 minutes per game throughout that stretch. Head coach Jason Kidd has instilled trust in Dinwiddie and has kept playing him despite fans and media members criticizing that decision because of Dinwiddie's early season struggles, though Kidd did preface recently that he and his staff didn't expect Dinwiddie to have this much of a role throughout this season so far.

It's obviously unknown as to whether Dinwiddie can keep up this same level of offensive production as the season progresses, as he's been very hot from beyond the arc recently, which has aided in boosting his counting stats dramatically. However, Dinwiddie has proven to be a valuable playmaker for Dallas off the bench, showing progression in his lob-throwing ability and selflessness off the dribble. Dinwiddie hasn't been a slouch at the point-of-attack as a defender this season either, which is great considering his shaky play on that end during his first stint in Dallas.

With all this being said, Dinwiddie's brutally honest anecdote could prove to become true if Exum comes back firing on all cylinders, but it would be a shame to see him vacate Dallas' rotation based on his recent play. Perhaps someone like Jaden Hardy, who has been very inconsistent despite some high scoring games recently, would be more of a prime candidate to be replaced in Dallas' rotation upon Exum's return from injury.

However, while only time will tell how Dallas' guard rotation off the bench shakes out as this season progresses, Dinwiddie is undoubtably playing some of his best basketball in a Mavericks uniform through this crucial stretch.