At the end of overtime in Monday night’s game, Spencer Dinwiddie had a chance to give the Brooklyn Nets the lead. With four seconds on the clock, Allen Crabbe kicked the ball to Dinwiddie at the top of three-point arc. He drove and tossed the ball over the backboard.
Spencer Dinwiddie had an open shot. With four seconds left, and Fred VanFleet a good five feet away, Dinwiddie had an open, yet distant three. In most cases, driving to the hoop would be a better option. But, it is not when there are three defenders lurking near the hoop, especially with one of them being Serge Ibaka.
More from Nothin' But Nets
- Nets star Mikal Bridges labeled top ‘trade target’ for serious title contender
- LAST CHANCE: Get $2,500 Bonus for Any NBA Draft Bet Before FanDuel Promo Expires Sunday
- Bet365 New Jersey Bonus: Bet $1, Win $200 GUARANTEED on ANY NBA Finals Bet Tonight!
- BetRivers NJ Promo: Bet $500 on the NBA/NHL Finals, Get a Bonus-Bet Refund if You Miss!
- DraftKings New Jersey Promo: Bet $5, Win $150 INSTANTLY on ANY NBA Playoff Game!
In this case, playing hero and shooting from beyond three-point range would have actually been smarter. He received the ball of an assist from Crabbe. If you take a look at his numbers, Dinwiddie converts on 56.3 percent of three-pointers coming off of assists. He also connects on 37 percent of his threes from the top of the arc. In a vacuum, the shot had more than a 50 percent shot of landing and winning the game.
However, basketball is not played in a vacuum and there are a ton of factors to add up. Dinwiddie looked like he was about 28-30 feet away from the basket. At that distance, Dinwiddie actually makes threes at a more efficient rate than when he is closer to the bucket. From 25-29 feet, Dinwiddie coverts on 36.1 percent of his shots, compared to shots taken from 20-24 feet, where he makes 31.7 percent.
The numbers support Dinwiddie’s case, but what about his role? At this point, Dinwiddie is a leader. After all, he has taken a starting role that was forced onto him and flourished in it. He might not have a reputation for being the most clutch player in the league, but a leader needs to dictate the end of a game.
So, what’s stopping him from taking that hero shot? Perhaps it’s confidence. His three-point percentage falls from 30.8 percent to 22.2 from when the Nets are either up or down 5 points with three minutes left to play to one. Granted, it is an extremely small sample size with 13 attempts and 9 attempts respectively.
Either way, Dinwiddie needs to be the man. If it means throwing up a bomb from long-range, then so be it.