Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie emerged, seemingly from nowhere, to become a finalist for the Most Improved Player award, to be announced Monday at the 2018 NBA Awards in Santa Monica, Calif.
Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie took the NBA universe by storm last season with his breaking play. Dinwiddie, who was signed by the Brooklyn Nets Dec. 8, 2016, had a consistent first season with the Nets.
In his Brooklyn Nets debut two days later, Dinwiddie scored six points off the bench. His first season with the Nets was a good season for him. He remained on the Nets roster and started 18 games.
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He played in a total of 59 games for the Nets, averaging 7.3 points and 3.1 assists per game.
The 2017-18 season was a spectacular season for Dinwiddie. On Oct. 25, Dinwiddie had the best game of his career to that point. He scored a career-high 22 points and hit the go-ahead 3-point shot with just under a minute to go in the game.
Dinwiddie’s play lifted the Brooklyn Nets to a surprising 112-107 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. This performance not only made Dinwiddie a household name in Brooklyn, but spread his name throughout the NBA universe.
His 22-point night against the Cavaliers was a memorable performance, but he proved that there are many more of these to come. A couple games later, Dinwiddie put up another 22-point performance against the Denver Nuggets on Oct. 29.
His performance was not enough to get Brooklyn the win. The Nets frontcourt crumbled to the Nuggets in a 124-11 loss.
On Nov. 17, he would go off to set a new career-high, scoring 25 points while leading Brooklyn to a 118-107 win over the Utah Jazz. During the game, Dinwiddie proved he is not just an elite scorer; he makes his teammates around him play better.
He controlled the ball movement and led the Nets offense.
Just under a month later, Dinwiddie set a new career-high, this time in assists, on Dec. 12. He recorded 12 assists in a 103-98 win over the Washington Wizards. His passing led Brooklyn to the win.
To go along with his tremendous passing performance, Dinwiddie controlled the offensive tempo and played well on the defensive end. He made great stops in the closing minutes helping Brooklyn extend its lead.
On Dec. 23, Dinwiddie again set a new career high in scoring with 26 points against the Indiana Pacers. His scoring was not enough for Brooklyn to win the game.
In late December, Dinwiddie’s name was in All-Star talks, but it was unlikely he would get voted in. This did not faze or get Dinwiddie in a slump. He continued to play consistently and become more popular.
On Jan. 8, Dinwiddie had one of the best performances of the season. He set another career-high, scoring 31 points against the red-hot Toronto Raptors. He would help push the Nets into overtime, but the Raptors hang on for a hard-fought 114-113 win.
In mid-January, Dinwiddie accepted an invitation to compete in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge at All-Star Weekend. He would dominate the competition and in the final round, he destroyed Chicago Bulls big man Lauri Markkanen while bringing home the trophy.
The Brooklyn Nets guard remained consistent throughout the second half of the season. On Jan. 31, he scored 27 points leading the Nets to a surprising win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He recorded four assists to go along with his 27 points.
Dinwiddie’s 2017-18 season was a memorable one. He played a total of 80 games and was consistent throughout the season. Nobody saw this season’s performance from Dinwiddie coming.
What makes the 2017-18 season special for the Nets guard is the journey he’s gone through since he was drafted in 2014.
Dinwiddie was drafted 38th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. After his arrival in Detroit, Dinwiddie had a hard time staying on the Pistons roster. He bounced up and down in the G-League, playing for the Grand Rapids Drive.
On October 30, 2016, Dinwiddie was acquired by the Windy City Bulls. The Windy City Bulls are the G-League team of the Chicago Bulls.
His time with the Windy City Bulls did not last long. Dinwiddie would only play a total of nine games averaging 19.4 points in 37 minutes per game before signing with the Brooklyn Nets.
The journey of Spencer Dinwiddie has been truly remarkable– from bouncing around in the G-League to being a finalist for the 2017-18 Most Improved Player awaard.
The MIP is most likely going to be awarded to Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo. Oladipo is the favorite to win the award due to his play while helping Indiana make the playoffs. The other finalist for the award is Houston Rockets center Clint Capela.
Whether or not Dinwiddie wins the award, he has proven he belongs on an NBA roster and as a piece of the Brooklyn Nets future. He was in trade talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the NBA trade deadline, but the Nets pulled out.
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The 2018 NBA Awards are Monday, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern on TNT.