Dunking Dinwiddie fully recovered from serious injury

So the Mavericks are plodding along now. We can all agree with this.

They’ve lost two of their first three games in a four-game home stand and are desperate for a win over Washington on Tuesday to stop the bleeding. In total, the Mavericks have eight home losses and eight away wins. This pace guarantees no more than 0.500 records when the chart levels off.

There are many different reasons why the results didn’t turn out as good as everyone hoped as the Mavericks gear up for game #49.

But it will be hard for you to put the blame on Spencer Dinwiddie.

The combination guard, who is two years and one month shy of his torn ACL when he was with Brooklyn, was seen as a bit of a risk when the Mavericks acquired him from Washington last season.

But now he’s gotten to the point where he looks exactly like the player he was before that injury, complete with those latest dunks (more on that in a moment).

He only missed one game, which may be the biggest testament to his return from a serious injury. So far, no Mavericks have played in all 48 matches. Dinwiddie averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 assists and 39.8% shooting from 3-point range.

This may not be enough to qualify him as a true No. 2 in support of Luka Doncic. But it’s enough to replace – almost exactly – what Jalen Brunson gave the Mavericks last season (16.3 points, 4.8 assists, 37.3 percent shooting in 79 games).

So while Dinwiddie may or may not be a No. 2 star, he has been very solid this season.

“He was great, whether he was playing alongside Luka or leading the second squad when Luka was gone,” said coach Jason Kidd.

Lately, he’s been especially blunt. He’s been in double figures in each of his last 14 games, averaging 18.3 points and 5.1 assists.

But perhaps Dinwiddie’s most endearing quality was his presence in the locker room. He had perhaps his most impassioned interview of the season, detailing why Dwight Powell was such a valuable part of the Mavericks machine.

His grip on reality is just as strong as he is on the team when he leads the offense, which he does more often these days as the Mavericks are trying to find creative ways to handle Luca’s pressure, like getting someone else to bring the ball instead of to have the defender chase after Doncic and drain energy he shouldn’t have wasted.

“I just try to mind my own business and work my hardest,” is the refrain we heard from Dinwiddie. But he is also one of those players who knows the pulse of the team.

Recently on the ‘Outta Pocket’ podcast, Dinwiddie opened up about his situation regarding where the team is where Luke is the head of the snake.

“Luka is definitely our superstar and we have other guys who are obviously good players,” Dinwiddie said. “But since there is no other superstar, it is not apple to apple, it will always be Luka and the boys.

“So you just have to be mentally resilient and be ready for it off the court because, like I said, on the court he makes it a lot easier.”

But Dinwiddie knows that the rest of the Mavericks’ job is also to make life as easy as possible for Luka as well.

Dinwiddie and his teammates need to convert all those open 3s (or as many as they can) that Doncic creates for them.

“Of course, this is our job,” Dinwiddie said earlier this month. “We’re going to get open views with Luka on the floor.”

And open paths for paint, too. And Dinwiddie and his friends have to make the defense pay when they outplay Luca.

Dinwiddie did it lately. He’s had some powerful one-handed dunks – further proof that his legs are back to where they were before he missed most of the 2020-21 season.

Dunks like these provide comic relief in the locker room when the Mavericks compare shots from Doncic, Dinwiddie, Christian Wood, and a few others.

And as the Mavericks end their four-game home stance, the fact that Dinwiddie has been Doncic’s trusted assistant throughout the season is not lost. As they say, the best ability is accessibility.

“He’s been great all season,” Doncic said. “He was great at throwing the ball and hitting the rim.”

Twitter: @ESefko