When the Dallas Mavericks acquired Spencer Dinwiddie from the Washington Wizards in the Feb. 10 trade that
involved Kristaps Porzingis, it gave them another coveted guard who could run the offense and create his own shot.
But no one knew how valuable Dinwiddie would eventually become. That value could be on full display when the Mavs face the Utah Jazz in a best-of-seven first-round playoff series starting Saturday at noon at American Airlines Center.
If superstar point guard Luka Doncic can’t play due to a strained left calf — which an MRI confirmed and the Mavs announced on Tuesday – Dinwiddie will move into the starting lineup in the backcourt alongside Jalen Brunson.
“If we had to play without Luka, with Spencer being able to come in and fill that void, we’re not asking him to be Luka,” coach Jason Kidd said. “But we’re asking him to be himself.
“We feel confident if he has to start, that’s what we’ll do. But no matter who we roll out there to start or who’s going to play in that game, we’ll be ready and prepared, and it’s about executing.”
Dinwiddie was in the starting lineup when Doncic sat out the March 5 game against the Sacramento Kings with a left toe sprain, and when he sat out the March 23 game against the Houston Rockets with right ankle soreness.
The Mavs overcame a 19-point deficit to defeat the Kings, 114-113. In that game Dinwiddie scored a season-high 36 points in 36 minutes and was 11-of-22 from the field and also distributed seven assists.
In addition, Dinwiddie poured in 26 points and handed out six assists when the Mavs beat the Rockets, 110-91. In that game he was 8-of-13 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from the three-point stripe.
“The couple of games that (Doncic) hasn’t played and I’ve been in there, my usage goes way up,” Dinwiddie said. “I just try to continue to make plays and be aggressive, but just understand that it’s probably 30 pick-and-rolls versus 10.
“Obviously, everybody gets more possessions, of course. I’ll probably approach it similarly to when (Doncic) wasn’t playing before. I know my usage will be up, like I said, but it’s a team effort. I don’t expect to shoulder the load completely.”
Like his coaches and teammates, Dinwiddie isn’t sure if Doncic will play Saturday. As of now there is no timetable for his return.
“I haven’t gotten any indication that he won’t be (playing), so I’m preparing as if he will be,” Dinwiddie said. “They haven’t told us anything. They haven’t said be ready.
“He seems solid to me. He doesn’t seem like a guy who is going to miss too much time if any.”
Dinwiddie’s ability to run an offense, create his own shot and effectively create for others is what attracted him to the Mavs. They knew he averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2019-20 season, and they also knew he knows how to carry a team.
“He’s been great,” Kidd said. “Since the trade, all the numbers speak that they are good, positive.
“We get a playmaker, a scorer, a bigger guard. So I think when you talk about him starting or him coming off the bench, he’s been a positive for us and it’s something that we didn’t have.”
In 23 games with the Mavs – including seven starts – Dinwiddie has averaged 15.8 points and 3.9 assists, and shot 49.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from beyond the three-point arc. The Mavs are going to the need that type of production from Dinwiddie, and perhaps
more, when they play the Jazz.
“I think it’s a next man’s up mentality,” Brunson said. “A player like Luka, he’s a generational talent, a top five player in the league, he does everything he wants on the court. I think for us we’re going to have to step up and find a way to win.”
And Dinwiddie insists, there won’t be any type of rallying cry just in case Doncic can’t play Saturday.
“We want to win,” he said. “We all know our assignment, whether (Doncic is) in or whether he’s out. We’ve got to go out there and execute.
“You don’t lose a player of that caliber and get better, obviously, but we feel like we have enough on this roster to win games. There isn’t a rallying cry. It’s all about winning Game 1 and progressing in the series.”
If Doncic is unable to play, the Mavs hope Dinwiddie can fill in admirably and help them make the progress they need to make in order to advance past the first round.
“He’s done a lot for our team,” Brunson said, in referring to Dinwiddie. “With or without Luka, Spencer has been great for us.”
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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