Reserve guard Spencer Dinwiddie had his highest scoring game in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform as he chipped in 11 points in the team’s 101-94 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Lakers brought in Dinwiddie off the buyout market, but offensively he has struggled to find his rhythm in a role much different than what he is used to.
This doesn’t mean Dinwiddie hasn’t made any impact as his defense has been solid and he quite literally sealed a Lakers win with a block on Damian Lillard not too long ago. Even still, it was good to see him knock down some open shots and Anthony Davis noted that the Lakers as a whole simply want Dinwiddie to remain aggressive.
“We constantly preach to him to be himself. Be Spencer Dinwiddie,” Davis said after the win. “Don’t be passive, you know trying to pass the ball and looking for guys. Obviously, that’s what he do. But at the same time, we want him to be aggressive if he’s open to shoot the ball, attacking the basket, finishing and you can tell he’s getting more and more comfortable and just playing basketball.
“So what he did tonight, we’re going to need from him these last 12 games that we have and then more but he’s starting to get comfortable as you saw tonight.”
As he has spoken about, Dinwiddie is playing far more off the ball with the Lakers than he ever has in his career. It takes time to get used to playing a different style, but he is continuing to adapt and D’Angelo Russell made it clear that the team knows he is more than capable of delivering anything that is asked of him.
“He’s still working, still working,” Russell added when speaking on Dinwiddie. “Obviously it’s a new role for him. He’s more than capable of doing any and everything we ask. The league knows, I’ll continue to have his back, the league knows what he’s capable of.
“You come here, maybe asked to do something different and the league forget what you’re capable of. But kudos to him for hanging in there, he’s more than capable.”
As the season winds down and the Lakers continue to try and improve their standings, Dinwiddie will be a big part of things and the team is confident he will deliver when called upon.
Spencer Dinwiddie trying to be more efficient in less touches with Lakers
Since Dinwiddie is used to having the ball in his hands more than what he is getting with the Lakers, it is still an adjustment process. But the veteran is working to be more efficient in his limited touches.
“Yeah, I’m trying to,” Dinwiddie added. “I think overall, as much as I find my niche and continue to find those extra possessions, I will be able to grab a couple more here and there.
“It wasn’t like a huge change in volume, it wasn’t like I ran 20 to 30 pick-and-rolls or something like that. But yeah, I was glad to get some more possessions and also tried to be as efficient as I possibly can and hopefully my offense can match my defense.”
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