The uneasy feeling among Brooklyn Nets fans heading into the team’s west coast road trip was only amplified when it was revealed that superstar Kevin Durant was battling a hamstring strain and would likely end up missing most of the games.
In a pleasantly surprising turn of events, however, the Nets swept the six-game slate and propelled themselves up to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference in the process. While the entire coaching staff and roster deserves credit for the winning streak, the play of backcourt tandem James Harden and Kyrie Irving have really stood out.
How good have they been? Well, over the last two weeks Harden is averaging 26.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 11.2 assists on 50.6% shooting from the floor and 44.9% on threes. During that same span, Irving is posting 25.6 points, 4.5 boards and 5.9 assists while shooting 48.4%.
The star duo’s adjustment to sharing the floor (and ball) has been so seamless that fans have all but forgotten about Spencer Dinwiddie, who suffered a partially-torn ACL just three games into the year and was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season.
While it can’t be confirmed whether Dinwiddie will return in 2020-21, his latest Instagram posts prove he’s grinding beyond belief during rehab.
Look at Spence's last 4 IG posts, he's on that comeback grind pic.twitter.com/SSpY1bwYt2
— Talkin’ Nets (@TalkinNets) February 25, 2021
Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from knee surgery
Fans in Brooklyn have greatly appreciated Dinwiddie providing regular updates on his recovery process, and you better believe that has everything to do with the fact that the former second-round pick hasn’t ruled out a potential return to the hardwood this season.
Like he’s done from the moment Dinwiddie underwent surgery, however, first-year head coach Steve Nash has responsibly continued to downplay the strides his backup point guard has made thus far, going as far as to say that the team is keeping Dinwiddie’s long-term interests at heart.
"“We all know that (Dinwiddie) is a hard worker, he’s incredibly strong, and heals quickly,” Nash told reporters last weekend. “But at the same time — like the Kevin (Durant) situation where he had those extra months to adapt to playing — if Dinwiddie were to come back this year, he wouldn’t have that.“I share optimism for him being back, playing as good he ever was. But I certainly don’t wanna put any undo pressure, any unrealistic expectations on him returning this season. My number one concern is long-term health, the ability to play and finish his career at a really high level. That, for me, is way more important than trying to rush him back for our own self-interest here.”"
It’s the night before game one of the NBA finals. You check your phone, Spencer Dinwiddie is available for tomorrow’s game. Life is good.
— Talkin’ Nets (@TalkinNets) February 18, 2021
Based entirely on Dinwiddie’s Instagram captions, it would appear he’s 10 weeks ahead of schedule in terms of the workouts and stretches he’s currently able to do. Though that’s unequivocally a reason for fans to be optimistic, we wouldn’t hold our breath about the seven-year pro re-entering the fold this season.
Still, however, seeing as though Dinwiddie is seemingly far along on the comeback trail this early into his recovery, we wouldn’t rule out anything. Given how inconsistent the Nets’ bench has been this season, it goes without saying that they would welcome him back to the rotation with open arms if he’s able to defy the odds.
What should the Brooklyn Nets do with Spencer Dinwiddie?
The Brooklyn Nets have a difficult decision to make with Spencer Dinwiddie. Try to extend him or trade him? There's a lot to consider.