The Los Angeles Lakers watched Spencer Dinwiddie struggle to close the 2023-24 season, and he is already having issues with the Hornets. Charlotte is his fourth team in three seasons, and the 32-year-old guard was already catching social media heat in the preseason. He finished with six points, four assists, and three rebounds on Oct. 11 against the Mavericks, but the Hornets were outscored by 18 points in his 19 minutes. Dinwiddie can put up numbers, but with a negative impact on winning.
After his 2024 buyout from the Raptors, Dinwiddie chose the Lakers. They immediately inserted him as a backup guard, but things never worked out. He shot under 40 percent from the field and averaged just 3.0 points per game in the playoffs as Los Angeles was knocked out by the Nuggets in the opening round.
The Hornets wanted multiple veteran guards behind LaMelo Ball, but Dinwiddie is an inefficient score-first option. Ball, Tre Mann, and Collin Sexton are ahead of him in the guard rotation. The 32-year-old may ultimately be cut or could be stuck on the bench for the retooling franchise.
Former Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie is struggling in Charlotte
Dinwiddie averaged 11.0 points, 4.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 27.0 minutes per game last season for the Mavericks. It looked like a bounce back after the disaster in Los Angeles, but the on-off numbers tell a different story. The Mavs had a plus-3.4 net rating without Dinwiddie on the floor and sat at negative-5.1 when he played. Dallas was 8.5 points per 100 possessions worse with Dinwiddie on the floor.
The 32-year-old struggles on defense and is more of a combo guard. He was throwing questionable passes in the Hornets' latest preseason game and will struggle in Charlotte if he makes their regular-season roster.
The Lakers have their sights set on returning to title contention, but the Hornets are in a different place. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2016 and have just three appearances since returning in 2005. LaMelo must stay healthy, or he risks the team giving up on him. Dinwiddie is an injury insurance policy, but it is quickly going belly up.
Unless this is a stealth tank move, the Hornets have to think hard about when to play Dinwiddie. If his on/off numbers from last season hold, Charlotte may ruin their postseason dreams by leaving him on the floor too long.
The Hornets will likely give their point guard minutes to Ball and Mann when healthy. That means playing Dinwiddie on the wing or not at all. If the veteran guard's impact on winning doesn’t improve, he will be cut or glued to the bench in Charlotte.
The Los Angeles Lakers were wise to let Spencer Dinwiddie walk when they did. He is still a bucket, but the regression is happening fast. Things haven’t looked promising through three preseason games, and the veteran may be on his last NBA stint. Dinwiddie has much to prove, or this will be the end. The early signs aren’t positive, and Lakers fans are sadly not surprised.