Nick Crain | 12/25/22

The Dallas Mavericks are coming off of a trip to the Western Conference Finals and looking to make another splash in the 2022-23 campaign. While Luka Doncic is deservedly getting a ton of attention this season for his MVP caliber play, Spencer Dinwiddie is quietly having a spectacular season. And as a result of his preparation and follow through, he’s definitely a name to keep an eye on during today’s Christmas Day slate. The further removed Dinwiddie gets from his ACL injury in 2020, the better he plays. The 6-foot-5 guard is still under 30 years old and amidst his prime. With his ability to play off-ball alongside Doncic or run the second unit as the primary point guard, Dinwiddie is the perfect piece for the Mavs. Although he’s currently under contract for $18 million this season, ProFitX pins his real-time value at upwards of $29.2 million. Dinwiddie needs to play 50 games this season to guarantee his $18.9 million salary for next season, which means he’d be owed 18.86 million before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2024.     As such, he needs to play 18 more games this season, with Dallas having 49 games remaining. It’s highly likely that Dinwiddie gets that money guaranteed. What has he done to really hit the peak of his career this season?   For starters, he’s averaging 16.5 points per game, which is the most in any single season since the ACL injury. From there, Dinwiddie is producing 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds per contest.   He’s also taken care of the ball, turning it over just 1.6 times per game, which is remarkable considering his usage is over 20% this season. This is valuable for a team that needs a secondary facilitator, which is exactly the role the 29-year-old plays. He’s second on the team in assists this season.   Not only has Dinwiddie scored the second-most points on the team this season, but he’s done it very efficiently. He’s shouting better than 45% from the floor, 40% from deep and 80% from the free throw line. This has resulted in a career-best 60.5% true shooting.   He’s top five in the NBA in catch-and-shoot efficiency from beyond the arc and is the best in the entire NBA from the corners.   With that in mind, Dinwiddie is a three-level scorer and is also effective from the line.   This season, 52.9% of Dinwiddie’s shots are triples, which we already know is a part of the floor he’s great in. From there, 20.4% are within 3 feet where he’s also converted at a high rate for a guard. The majority of his shots have been layups and triples, which is always a good thing. When he does take shots in the midrange, Dinwiddie shoots better than 40%.   Dinwiddie is first on the team in free throw percentage (minimum 20 attempts) and 3-point percentage (minimum 50 attempts). He’s also second on the Mavs in BPM, third in PER, second in VORP and third in offensive rating.   When Doncic isn’t on the floor or is playing more off-ball, Dinwiddie is fantastic. He makes up a top ten pick-and-roll duo with Christian Wood and is also sixth in the NBA in 3-pointers assisted on.   Simply put, he’s an extremely valuable piece of a core looking to go the distance.   Perhaps the most impressive part of Dinwiddie’s season thus far is the durability. He’s notched the most games played on the team with 32, all of which have been starts. He’s missed just one game this entire season. A lot of times, the best ability is availability.   The Mavericks will host the Los Angeles Lakers this afternoon on Christmas, meaning Dinwiddie will have the opportunity to showcase this upside in front of millions of fans tuning in worldwide.