3 Lakers who must be benched if LA is going to make the playoffs

Lakers need to bench Spencer Dinwiddie

Spencer Dinwiddie is the newest member of the Los Angeles Lakers so it might be surprising to suggest that the Lakers should bench him down the stretch. While new players typically get a chance to earn playing time, it has become clear rather quickly that Dinwiddie might not be the solution the Lakers were hoping for.

To be fair, Dinwiddie was struggling this season before he came to Los Angeles. It wasn't like Dinwiddie was playing great on the Brooklyn Nets and if he had any real value the Toronto Raptors probably would have kept him around.

But alas, he was traded and waived and has since continued his poor play with the Lakers. When he was initially signed, Dinwiddie was viewed as an insurance plan in case D'Angelo Russell faltered. Now it is clear that the Lakers cannot really rely on Dinwiddie, and may need an insurance plan for his spot in the rotation.

Dinwiddie is averaging 23.8 minutes per game as a Laker and in that time he is averaging 5.5 points, 3.6 assists and 1.1 turnovers. To make those numbers look even worse, Dinwiddie is shooting 36.4% from the field and 29.6% from beyond the arc.

It is a small sample size, sure, but it isn't like Dinwiddie is some elite player that is struggling on a small sample size. This has been Dinwiddie's story for quite some time now and chances are that these struggles will continue as the season goes along.

The Lakers cannot afford to give Dinwiddie all the time in the world to figure this out. The team does not owe him anything, and as soon as Gabe Vincent is back, he should instantly get all of Dinwiddie's minutes.