Brooklyn Nets: Is Spencer Dinwiddie really an All-Star?

Recently, a Twitter movement has begun to vote Spencer Dinwiddie into his first All-Star game. But is the four-year veteran actually playing at an All-Star level?

While Spencer Dinwiddie has been one of the key players leading the Brooklyn Nets this season, one can only ask, how do fans commemorate his play? The most obvious choice is an All-Star selection. After all, he has made the jump from bench staple to leading guard on the Nets.

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Unfortunately the NBA does not work that way. If Dinwiddie wants to be an All-Star, his work must be compared to his peers. The Eastern Conference has a pretty rich backcourt. So, where does Dinwiddie stack up in regards to some of the best guards in the East?

According to the second All-Star voting return, released on Thursday, the top vote-getter Eastern Conference for backcourt players is Kyrie Irving. Following him is DeMar DeRozan, Ben Simmons, Victor Oladipo and Dwyane Wade.

Dinwiddie is actually outperforming Wade this year. Whereas Wade is averaging 11.1 points, 3.8 boards and 3.8 assists per game, Dinwiddie puts up 13.2 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.4 assists per contest. However, Wade has made all but two All-Star games since his sophomore season. He is pretty much a staple at this point.

Rounding out the top ten are John Wall, Isaiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry, Bradley Beal and Jaylen Brown. Out of this group, Dinwiddie is playing better than a single player: Wade’s teammate Thomas.

In his four appearances all season, Thomas has averaged 12.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He has spent most of the season waiting to make his Cavaliers debut thanks to a hip injury. In fact, he just made his debut on Jan. 2.

However if we take a look at Dinwiddie’s value, he is on par with several All-Star candidates. His VORP of 1.1 is nearly equal with John Wall, who has a VORP of 1.2. Dinwiddie’s VORP is also close to Simmons’s and Beals’s, who possess VORPs of 1.6 and 1.4, respectively.

Here’s the kicker. Dinwiddie has more value than three current All-Star candidates: Wade, Thomas and Brown. Wade currently has a career-low VORP of .2, Brown is just slightly better at .7 and Thomas does not have a positive VORP at -.2.

The statistics help make Dinwiddie’s case. Now all he needs is more votes.