Pressure point
It's now or never Dinwiddie to find his game again
LOS ANGELES — The Nets need the old Spencer Dinwiddie back. The Dinwddie that used to attack the basket, and play with a chip on his shoulder. The one that hasn’t been seen or heard from since D’Angelo Russell’s return.
With the Nets trying to snap a 9-of-10 skid Sunday at the Clippers, Dinwiddie is trying to figure out how to co-exist with Russell in the backcourt. But DeMarre Carroll channeled his inner Yoda, telling the 24-year-old guard not to try to find his way: Just find it.
“You’re an NBA player, you get paid a lot of money to do this. Ain’t no sense of trying to find it: You either find it or you don’t,” Carroll said. “That’s tough love, but that’s what I’m here for. Like I tell Spence — and I tell it to his face — we need him to be the same Spence he was when D’An- gelo was out of the lineup. Now he’s back, we still need you to be that Spence that you were before.”
Asked if that’s simply a matter of Dinwiddie trying not to step on toes, Carroll replied victories earned come before ruffled feathers.
“What toes are you going to step on if you’re helping the team?” Carroll said. “That Spence was helping our team win a lot of games, so it’s not stepping on toes. It’s just he needs to play the way he’s been playing.
“That’s why all of y’all have grown to love Spence, because of the way he’s been playing, attacking the goal, playing with a chip on his shoulder. He’s just got to get back to that Spence, playing like he’s got a chip on his shoulder.”
In the 32 games Russell missed, Dinwiddie averaged 14.4 points and 7.2 assists, his 11.9 PIE (Player Impact Estimate) second-best on the team. But he hasn’t been the same player since Russell’s return.
In the past seven games — since Russell’s minutes jumped to 31 per game — Dinwiddie’s PIE has plummeted to eighth among Nets regulars (8.2). Since he saw Russell join him in the lineup four games ago, he’s averaged just nine points, is fifth in PIE (9.2) and is seemingly walking (or playing) on eggshells.
“Yeah, those two are trying to find their niche. They’re polite to each other. They’re trying to share, like good kids; but it’s part of our theme, you guys have got to also [be yourselves],” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Spencer, you only had five drives last game. He’s top 10 in the league in drives. He’s a great driver. We need you downhill. D’Angelo, we need you to play pick-and-roll.
“Somehow they’ve got to find that balance. I wish it was supersimple; it’s not super simple. I like their chemistry in the sense of trying to work it out. On the other hand they’ve also got to play their game.”
Dinwiddie’s game is downhill, and is 10th in the NBA (discounting Jeremy Lin) in drives at 13.0. But despite logging over 36 minutes in Thursday’s overtime loss at Sacramento, he had just five while Russell had a dozen.
“It was his and Jeremy’s team at the beginning of the year,” said Dinwiddie, who must alter that view. “If the ball’s supposed to be in his hands, it’s going to be in his hands. That’s what’s going to be the best thing for our team. I wouldn’t call it deferring.
“It’s a constant growth process for me figuring it out. I understand I have to play well for this team to win, so obviously a lot of those comments are pointed in that direction because of the impact I’ve had on winning. I have to continue to be better.