Lakers News: Spencer Dinwiddie Unpacks What Skill Sets He Brings to LA

Dinwiddie has fit in with the Lakers so far.

Since the NBA trade deadline has gone and passed, the Los Angeles Lakers have added veteran point guard Spencer Dinwiddie from the buyout market. There was talk about the team trading for him at one point, but they now get him without giving him up.

Dinwiddie was traded to the Toronto Raptors from the Brooklyn Nets, but Toronto decided to waive him. Los Angeles now gains an extra body for the stretch run, but Dinwiddie also gives them more than they've had to work with this season.

Dinwiddie gave a breakdown of some of the things he brings to the Lakers roster on the court.

“I mean, get downhill, provide rim pressure,” Dinwiddie said of his game. “Point-of-attack defense, also wing defense depending on the lineups. Switchability there. Just come in, be aggressive, set a tone, play with high IQ. Remember, with this situation, it’s more about plugging in more so than dominating, per se. That’s the mentality.”

Per Spencer Dinwiddie via The Athletic

Los Angeles really hasn't had a guard who can provide rim pressure all year. D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves can get to the rim, but they typically will play more on the perimeter. 

Dinwiddie adds an extra layer to this team's offense, and we have seen it play out in the first two games with him. He did mention that he wants to work on his shooting off the dribble, especially playing alongside LeBron James.

“The thing I haven’t done well throughout my career is shoot off the dribble, contested, poor shot quality 3s. In some situations, I’ve been forced to do some of that in a higher percentage than good looks. So it affected overall percentage and sometimes it becomes a misnomer,” Dinwiddie said. “So the better quality looks and the more good quality looks versus bad quality looks (give me) the utmost confidence in being a big-time shot maker for this team.”



Per Spencer Dinwiddie via The Athletic

If Dinwiddie can continue to fit into his role, this signing will be a steal for the Lakers. He has been in the league for a long time and has taken note of how the Lakers can flip switches at different times.

“Essentially you’re seeing a team that when everything is on the line, they can rise to a level that no other team can get to,” Dinwiddie said. “They won the in-season tournament, have played bigtime basketball the past several years. Obviously sometimes it’s hard to maintain that throughout a whole season but at the end of the day, they know how to win. That’s what you know.”



Per Spencer Dinwiddie via The Athletic

Los Angeles is 2-0 since Dinwiddie has taken the court for them, and now they enter into a long rest with the All-Star break. They seem to be clicking right now, which, hopefully, will last the rest of the way.