‘New Roles, Same Mentality’: Dinwiddie, Brunson Raise Mavs’ Playoff Ceiling

Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson star in secondary guard roles for the Dallas Mavericks.

Looking for another creator in the backcourt alongside Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd began starting Jalen Brunson earlier in the season. That move was successful, but it opened up a need for a third guard in the rotation. Dallas has found a solution that would appear to significantly raise its playoff ceiling.

Given that Brunson is a smaller guard, adding a backcourt threat with size and secondary distributing abilities became a top priority for the Mavs. 

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Spencer Dinwiddie has taken hold of that role since being dealt to the Mavericks in the Kristaps Porzingis trade. Dinwiddie's impact is magnified in games Doncic has not played in, and he has made it easier to find rest opportunities for the MVP candidate as well.

Since acquiring Dinwiddie, the Mavericks have won both games that Doncic has sat out. A key factor for that has been the synergy between Brunson and Dinwiddie. During those two games, Dinwiddie has averaged 31.0 points and 6.5 assists, while Brunson has averaged 25.5 points and 4.5 assists.

In the 248 minutes that Dinwiddie and Brunson have shared the floor, the Mavericks have produced a 116.6 offensive rating, a 105.8 defensive rating and a 10.9 net rating. Whether they're starting alongside each other or sharing the floor in plug-and-play lineups, it's working. 

“The roles may change, but the approach and the mentality they stay the same for pretty much all of us," Brunson said of playing without Doncic. "It’s just the next man up mentality.

“I think me and Spencer have been comfortable since he got here. It kind of just flows as soon as he was inserted into the lineup. It was believing we had someone else able to create the way he creates for himself and others. It’s a credit to him for being a great teammate coming in here and just wanting to win.”

When Brunson and Dinwiddie are on the court together, they're able to read the game and adjust accordingly. Against the Rockets on Wednesday, Dinwiddie set the tone in the first half with 19 points and four assists. He deferred after the break to Brunson, who finished with 16 points in the third quarter alone. 

© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

“If (Brunson is) rolling I’ve got to get out the way,” Dinwiddie said. “I feel like I was kind of reading the game from that standpoint, and obviously for our team, too, it was working.

“We started taking the lead and it started going up, so you don’t need to insert yourself forcefully at that point and time. If we were going down – if we were going in the opposite way – then yeah, I would probably try to choose another route.”

It’ll be interesting to see how well the Mavs’ new secondary guard duo translates to postseason play, which starts in about two weeks. One thing is for sure, though — Doncic has more help now than he’s ever had in his four-year career.