Mavericks Veteran Gets Brutally Honest On His Spot in the Rotation

The 10-year veteran has played well for the Mavericks as of late

Nov 30, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie (26) reacts after being called for a foul in the second half against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images / Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks picked up their fifth straight win and their ninth in ten days with a 121-116 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. Dallas was down by 15 points early in the 4th quarter but erased it by getting to the free throw line and some big shots by Spencer Dinwiddie in the final minutes.

With 1:40 remaining and the Mavs trailing 111-110, Kyrie Irving kicked the ball ahead to Spencer Dinwiddie in transition, who found himself wide open for a wing three and knocked it down. After Jaren Jackson Jr. missed a layup on the other end, Dallas swung the ball around, eventually finding PJ Washington in the corner, who kicked it to Dinwiddie in the same spot on the right wing for another made triple to go up 116-111 with 1:10 remaining.

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After the game, Dinwiddie was asked about getting his reputation back and had this to say: "It’s tough to say. You don’t even know if I’m gonna be playing when we’re fully healthy. I signed on to help a team win a championship in whatever form that is. Whether that's 20 points, whether that's ten assists, or guarding Ja Morant. I think playing meaningful basketball at this stage in your career is probably the most you can ask for, I've had a ton of fun. Obviously, I want to stay in the rotation, who wouldn’t, but you understand that things come, that's the league, and that's being on a talented team... My focus is on being here and trying to help a team win a [NBA] Cup championship and a real championship."

Dinwiddie caught a lot of strays from Mavericks fans after a 1/12 shooting performance in an overtime loss to the Miami Heat a little over a week ago. He's been money since then, averaging 17.2 PPG and 6.4 APG, with 32 total assists to just eight turnovers. His minutes may start to get reduced now that both Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic are back healthy, but until Dante Exum returns from wrist surgery in a few months, Dinwiddie has earned a spot in the rotation for now.

This is Dinwiddie's second stint with the Mavericks. He was on the 2022 team that made the Western Conference Finals but was then traded away to the Brooklyn Nets to bring in Kyrie Irving. He's now returned looking to find that same spark he had in his first stint in Dallas.

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