Miami Heat: Making The Case Against Pursuing Spencer Dinwiddie
Spencer Dinwiddie is a great player, but the biggest issue with investing in him is uncertainty. He suffered a torn ACL early in the 2020-2021 season.
An ACL tear is one of the worst injuries in basketball. Those who are unfortunate enough to suffer this type of injury have to work extremely hard to return to the type of player they were before it happened.
Some players never return to their old selves, such as Derrick Rose, since the tear sometimes hinders their athletic abilities. This does not mean that Spencer Dinwiddie is incapable of returning to playing basketball at a high level though, again, such as Derrick Rose.
However, since Jimmy Butler is playing at the peak level of his career, the Heat are interested in winning now. Taking a gamble on Dinwiddie might pay off, but it could also close Miami’s championship window.
Another issue with Dinwiddie is that in the three games he played last season, he only averaged 11.3 points per 36 minutes played. That is over 10 points less than his average the previous year.
It wouldn’t be fair to make this point without any context. Not only would it be unfair to judge Dinwiddie based on three games, but the Nets also added NBA superstar, Kevin Durant, to their roster, so Dinwiddie’s touches were limited.
Nevertheless, the drop-off is significant enough that the Miami Heat should be a little reluctant to consider signing him. Assuming he does return as the player we saw during the 2019-2020 season, Spencer Dinwiddie has a large arsenal of offensive skills.
However, one skill he has lacked so far in his career is three point shooting. He has shot only 31.8 percent from beyond the arc over the course of his career.
Although the Heat have good shooters on their roster, such as Duncan Robinson, Miami’s stars in Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo already struggle with three point shooting, so adding another weaker shooter might not be the best idea.
Lastly, Dinwiddie is rumored to be asking for $125 million over five years. While Miami can afford to take on this type of contract, it would limit their ability to go after free agents in the future.