Approximately 48 hours to go until draft night 2014 is officially under way, and today we take a look at the brash and confident Spencer Dinwiddie from the University of Colorado. You can see all of the other draft profiles from this year by perusing this site, or by looking at this thread:
http://www.pacersdigest.com/showthre...-2014-Pointers
Dinwiddie is considered by some to be a 2 guard, but I scouted him at his preferred position, which is as a point guard. Playing 3 years for Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes, Dinwiddie helped but the Boulder boys back on the college basketball map, as they have begun a run of unprecedented success since joining the Pac 12.
Dinwiddie is coming off a major surgery, having torn his ACL back in January. By all accounts his rehab is going extremely well, but he will potentially miss some time at the beginning of next season, though obviously ACL tears are not as bad as they used to be. He measures in at 6'6, with a 6'8 1/4 wingspan. Born April 6 1993, Dinwiddie is 21 years old.
This young guard has a somewhat unique court demeanor and personality. He is extremely confident, very verbal with his teammates and opponents, and likes to engage in his share of trash talk. He is also very active is social media, which many fans will appreciate. He plays with a swagger and confidence that sometimes isn't merited, but yet it is there....this kid is very confident in his own skin. He wears just about the only moustache I have seen on his young face, and he was so incredibly popular with fans in Colorado that he gave himself the nickname "The Mayor" on twitter, which stuck and became his moniker throughout his last years in Boulder.
Let's take a look at the game of Spencer Dinwiddie below:
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Born in LA, Dinwiddie has the California coolness in big games. He played very well as Colorado continued its rise in college basketball, playing on national television seemed to bring out the best in him. Dinwiddie held his own playing Kansas and Oklahoma State this past season before he was injured vs Washington. The PAC 12 was loaded, and Colorado obviously some tough non conference games as well. He was the focal point of tough defense every night, as teams that scouted Colorado made it their mission to stop him. I found it interesting that Oklahoma State had Marcus Smart guard him with no help responsibility, in essence face guarding him all over the floor to prevent him from getting the basketball, forcing other Buffalo guards to initiate offense. Other teams at times used similar strategies the last 2 years.
While Dinwiddie often played off the ball for Colorado, invariably he got the ball late in the shot clock when they had to get a play made. Other times, if he didn't initiate their offense he usually got the ball up top throughout the possession as their primary playmaker. Dinwiddie's passing skills were what stirred the Colorado drink.
As a driver, Dinwiddie uses his size to see over his defender to survey the floor. I always like looking at guys who see "beyond" their defender and can see the help behind, and Dinwiddie does that consistently well. He has a very good first step, though it isn't at a premier level, and he can get into the paint and finish with his right hand. I would expect that at some point he will develop a nice floater, though he really hasn't had to make that shot yet. Teams at the pro level I would guess will make him score if he drives, fearing his passing skills more than his scoring over traffic, so as he proceeds on he will have to make that adjustment.
I worry a bit about his unwillingness to either pass or finish with his left hand. When passing to his left, he will still often pass with his right hand, and those are the types of passes that get deflected at the NBA level. He will need to fix that and develop his left hand, as he isn't such an explosive athlete that he can get away with that now.
I do like a lot how he plays at different speeds, with change of pace. He won't always go at full speed, which helps him stay in control of the situation and survey the floor to make the right play. He will use a hesitation dribble, accelerate quickly, and he rarely has trouble getting to where he wants to go. His first step with the ball is above average, and the ball doesn't slow him down. Dinwiddie has really good body control, which enables him to get fouled at a high rate despite top end athleticism. And at the line he is cash, shooting over 85% from the charity stripe. He has every move you'd expect, but his best moves are the Euro step and the right to left crossover going full speed.
I think he is a pro because of how well he orchestrates the offense out of a ball screen situation. Watching tape of Colorado play is very enlightening, because the Buffaloes run a lot of typical NBA set plays and in fact run many of the Pacers favorite sets. Dinwiddie receives the ballscreen, turns the corner, and can make any and every pass that is needed to be made. He can make the lob to the roller (like Chris Paul does so well), he can make the pocket pass under the defense to the roller, he can drive and dump to a help defender coming to him near the rim, and he can whip the ball to either corner (with his right hand, not his left at this point) when the perimeter guys pinch inward toward the paint. Dinwiddie is crafty enough to see the pass and make it accurately, and athletic enough to get to the rim and finish or get fouled. He is a ball screen potential weapon for himself and for others. Dinwiddie is unselfish, maybe more than anyone I've looked at so far, and tries to make the right basketball play.
Dinwiddie has solid shooting form, especially on a pull up jumper. He really uses the "pound" dribble well in those cases, which give him some extra spring that he doesn't always get on his spot up attempts. I thought form wise he is one of the better pull up off the dribble jump shooters I've looked at this year.
On a spot up situation his numbers were good this year, as he shot 41.3% from 3 point range overall. Occasionally his feet will get flat and he will push the ball ahead instead of "dipping" to generate power, so that means that sometimes his misses are really really bad. Going forward he will need to continue to refine and improve his shot mechanics, as he profiles more as a "guy who can make shots" instead of being a "dead eye shooter", if that makes sense. His release isn't super fast, and he needs an extra couple tenths of second to get it off accurately.
Because of his lack of comfort using his left hand, and because he isn't an elite speed guy, extreme ball pressure can give him problems. This will have to be mitigated if a team wants to play Dinwiddie....I don't think his handle or niftiness with the ball is at a level that you'd want to play him as your only ballhandler surrounded by 2 non ball handling wings. You'd ideally with Dinwiddie want your 2 and 3 man to be able to start your offense if needed.
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Defensively he has better stats than you'd think by watching him play.
He seems to be able to slide his feet pretty well and contain the ball, though he isn't a guy who you'll have pressure the ball full court. He stays low in his slide, and is above average with his hands, using them to get into the vision of the passer, taking advantage of his size advantage. Dinwiddie gets a lot of steals and deflections when guards try and throw passes right by his ears, because he seems to have quick twitch hands and gets his hands up quickly.
He would be hard to score on off the dribble for many NBA point guards. He defends the pull up particularly well when engaged and focused, because he has that NBA skill of being able to slide, come to a full stop, and instantly rise to jump and contest a shot. He sadly just doesn't do that all of the time, which perhaps is understandable since he expended so much energy offensively in college and carried a heavy load minute wise.
He tries to fight over ballscreens typically, as Colorado usually defended the ball screen in a similar way to what the Pacers do. He was good at trailing a guard in that spot and influencing pullups from behind and the side with his length.
Dinwiddie is somewhat thin, and tended to lose his concentration away from the ball, and was very much a scouting report type defender. You can see him thinking and trying to diagnose plays, which enabled him to get some off the ball steals and deflections, but it also caused him to get burned at times. He didn't fight through off the ball screens that well, but playing at the point guard position defensively in the NBA, he won't have to do that all that often.
Clearly though, Dinwiddie will make a mark on his team from an offensive and personality standpoint...he isn't a shutdown defender by any stretch, but he should fit in well with a system in place and decent teammates behind him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what do we have in Spencer Dinwiddie?
I think we have a charismatic, brash and confident lead guard with great court vision, but who lacks uber athleticism. A kid who is an above average passer, probably a slightly above average shooter who plays offense beyond his measurables. But he isn't an overly good defender, and he will struggle with big time pressure defense until he improves his left hand and refines all of his dribble moves.
He will probably be able to play the 2 some for many teams, but I think he thinks and plays like a point guard, and that is how I view him, though worst case he is a combo guard who gives you some positional flexibility, especially as he gets older.
Now, you have to have your medical people examine that knee, and your training people have to know how to continue his rehab like he has been doing. He has had exceptional rehab from what I have read so far, but you just have to have everyone on the same page where that is concerned. Still I see no reason why he won't be ready by December 2013, if not before.
Dinwiddie could be a very good value pick, if teams are afraid of his knee issues and don't want to wait on him to get healthy. Without the injury, he probably in my opinion would be a first round pick.
To get him now, like most of the guys I have profiled so far, Indiana will likely have to move up into the 35-45 range. Could he be the target of Larry Bird? I think it is possible.
Dinwiddie would fit well with our current roster and with our current style of play. I think he could play with any backcourt combination we have and that would give us some extra flexibility offensively. He probably would become one of our best passers from day 1, and would be a nice cheap alternative to CJ Watson in 2015-2016 learning the league and proving he is healthy. His familiarity with how Indiana plays defensively and with the commonality in NBA sets at Colorado also make the potential transition easier.
He probably fits Indiana as well as anyone in the league, and I can see him also landing in New York with the Knicks, as we know Phil Jackson likes bigger guards.
However he always have problems defending the elite uber athletic guards that are all over the NBA now....the John Wall/Teague/Rose types. Factoring that in is where the trick lies for the Pacers front office in 2 days from now. Still, I think Dinwiddie rates as an eventual starting point guard on a bad team, or a really nice back up on a good team. Getting a guy like that on a rookie contract is a smart thing to do.
NBA comparable: Somewhere between Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon.
This now concludes the 9 profiles of guys I am going to do full profiles on before the draft. Tomorrow, I'll have quick thoughts on a variety of players throughout the country that I have made notes on, and on Thursday I'll try and predict what happens on draft night where our team is concerned along with laying what my own target list and order would look like, including the annual "call your shot" thread.
This time until next time......
Tbird
http://www.pacersdigest.com/showthre...-2014-Pointers
Dinwiddie is considered by some to be a 2 guard, but I scouted him at his preferred position, which is as a point guard. Playing 3 years for Tad Boyle's Colorado Buffaloes, Dinwiddie helped but the Boulder boys back on the college basketball map, as they have begun a run of unprecedented success since joining the Pac 12.
Dinwiddie is coming off a major surgery, having torn his ACL back in January. By all accounts his rehab is going extremely well, but he will potentially miss some time at the beginning of next season, though obviously ACL tears are not as bad as they used to be. He measures in at 6'6, with a 6'8 1/4 wingspan. Born April 6 1993, Dinwiddie is 21 years old.
This young guard has a somewhat unique court demeanor and personality. He is extremely confident, very verbal with his teammates and opponents, and likes to engage in his share of trash talk. He is also very active is social media, which many fans will appreciate. He plays with a swagger and confidence that sometimes isn't merited, but yet it is there....this kid is very confident in his own skin. He wears just about the only moustache I have seen on his young face, and he was so incredibly popular with fans in Colorado that he gave himself the nickname "The Mayor" on twitter, which stuck and became his moniker throughout his last years in Boulder.
Let's take a look at the game of Spencer Dinwiddie below:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Born in LA, Dinwiddie has the California coolness in big games. He played very well as Colorado continued its rise in college basketball, playing on national television seemed to bring out the best in him. Dinwiddie held his own playing Kansas and Oklahoma State this past season before he was injured vs Washington. The PAC 12 was loaded, and Colorado obviously some tough non conference games as well. He was the focal point of tough defense every night, as teams that scouted Colorado made it their mission to stop him. I found it interesting that Oklahoma State had Marcus Smart guard him with no help responsibility, in essence face guarding him all over the floor to prevent him from getting the basketball, forcing other Buffalo guards to initiate offense. Other teams at times used similar strategies the last 2 years.
While Dinwiddie often played off the ball for Colorado, invariably he got the ball late in the shot clock when they had to get a play made. Other times, if he didn't initiate their offense he usually got the ball up top throughout the possession as their primary playmaker. Dinwiddie's passing skills were what stirred the Colorado drink.
As a driver, Dinwiddie uses his size to see over his defender to survey the floor. I always like looking at guys who see "beyond" their defender and can see the help behind, and Dinwiddie does that consistently well. He has a very good first step, though it isn't at a premier level, and he can get into the paint and finish with his right hand. I would expect that at some point he will develop a nice floater, though he really hasn't had to make that shot yet. Teams at the pro level I would guess will make him score if he drives, fearing his passing skills more than his scoring over traffic, so as he proceeds on he will have to make that adjustment.
I worry a bit about his unwillingness to either pass or finish with his left hand. When passing to his left, he will still often pass with his right hand, and those are the types of passes that get deflected at the NBA level. He will need to fix that and develop his left hand, as he isn't such an explosive athlete that he can get away with that now.
I do like a lot how he plays at different speeds, with change of pace. He won't always go at full speed, which helps him stay in control of the situation and survey the floor to make the right play. He will use a hesitation dribble, accelerate quickly, and he rarely has trouble getting to where he wants to go. His first step with the ball is above average, and the ball doesn't slow him down. Dinwiddie has really good body control, which enables him to get fouled at a high rate despite top end athleticism. And at the line he is cash, shooting over 85% from the charity stripe. He has every move you'd expect, but his best moves are the Euro step and the right to left crossover going full speed.
I think he is a pro because of how well he orchestrates the offense out of a ball screen situation. Watching tape of Colorado play is very enlightening, because the Buffaloes run a lot of typical NBA set plays and in fact run many of the Pacers favorite sets. Dinwiddie receives the ballscreen, turns the corner, and can make any and every pass that is needed to be made. He can make the lob to the roller (like Chris Paul does so well), he can make the pocket pass under the defense to the roller, he can drive and dump to a help defender coming to him near the rim, and he can whip the ball to either corner (with his right hand, not his left at this point) when the perimeter guys pinch inward toward the paint. Dinwiddie is crafty enough to see the pass and make it accurately, and athletic enough to get to the rim and finish or get fouled. He is a ball screen potential weapon for himself and for others. Dinwiddie is unselfish, maybe more than anyone I've looked at so far, and tries to make the right basketball play.
Dinwiddie has solid shooting form, especially on a pull up jumper. He really uses the "pound" dribble well in those cases, which give him some extra spring that he doesn't always get on his spot up attempts. I thought form wise he is one of the better pull up off the dribble jump shooters I've looked at this year.
On a spot up situation his numbers were good this year, as he shot 41.3% from 3 point range overall. Occasionally his feet will get flat and he will push the ball ahead instead of "dipping" to generate power, so that means that sometimes his misses are really really bad. Going forward he will need to continue to refine and improve his shot mechanics, as he profiles more as a "guy who can make shots" instead of being a "dead eye shooter", if that makes sense. His release isn't super fast, and he needs an extra couple tenths of second to get it off accurately.
Because of his lack of comfort using his left hand, and because he isn't an elite speed guy, extreme ball pressure can give him problems. This will have to be mitigated if a team wants to play Dinwiddie....I don't think his handle or niftiness with the ball is at a level that you'd want to play him as your only ballhandler surrounded by 2 non ball handling wings. You'd ideally with Dinwiddie want your 2 and 3 man to be able to start your offense if needed.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defensively he has better stats than you'd think by watching him play.
He seems to be able to slide his feet pretty well and contain the ball, though he isn't a guy who you'll have pressure the ball full court. He stays low in his slide, and is above average with his hands, using them to get into the vision of the passer, taking advantage of his size advantage. Dinwiddie gets a lot of steals and deflections when guards try and throw passes right by his ears, because he seems to have quick twitch hands and gets his hands up quickly.
He would be hard to score on off the dribble for many NBA point guards. He defends the pull up particularly well when engaged and focused, because he has that NBA skill of being able to slide, come to a full stop, and instantly rise to jump and contest a shot. He sadly just doesn't do that all of the time, which perhaps is understandable since he expended so much energy offensively in college and carried a heavy load minute wise.
He tries to fight over ballscreens typically, as Colorado usually defended the ball screen in a similar way to what the Pacers do. He was good at trailing a guard in that spot and influencing pullups from behind and the side with his length.
Dinwiddie is somewhat thin, and tended to lose his concentration away from the ball, and was very much a scouting report type defender. You can see him thinking and trying to diagnose plays, which enabled him to get some off the ball steals and deflections, but it also caused him to get burned at times. He didn't fight through off the ball screens that well, but playing at the point guard position defensively in the NBA, he won't have to do that all that often.
Clearly though, Dinwiddie will make a mark on his team from an offensive and personality standpoint...he isn't a shutdown defender by any stretch, but he should fit in well with a system in place and decent teammates behind him.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what do we have in Spencer Dinwiddie?
I think we have a charismatic, brash and confident lead guard with great court vision, but who lacks uber athleticism. A kid who is an above average passer, probably a slightly above average shooter who plays offense beyond his measurables. But he isn't an overly good defender, and he will struggle with big time pressure defense until he improves his left hand and refines all of his dribble moves.
He will probably be able to play the 2 some for many teams, but I think he thinks and plays like a point guard, and that is how I view him, though worst case he is a combo guard who gives you some positional flexibility, especially as he gets older.
Now, you have to have your medical people examine that knee, and your training people have to know how to continue his rehab like he has been doing. He has had exceptional rehab from what I have read so far, but you just have to have everyone on the same page where that is concerned. Still I see no reason why he won't be ready by December 2013, if not before.
Dinwiddie could be a very good value pick, if teams are afraid of his knee issues and don't want to wait on him to get healthy. Without the injury, he probably in my opinion would be a first round pick.
To get him now, like most of the guys I have profiled so far, Indiana will likely have to move up into the 35-45 range. Could he be the target of Larry Bird? I think it is possible.
Dinwiddie would fit well with our current roster and with our current style of play. I think he could play with any backcourt combination we have and that would give us some extra flexibility offensively. He probably would become one of our best passers from day 1, and would be a nice cheap alternative to CJ Watson in 2015-2016 learning the league and proving he is healthy. His familiarity with how Indiana plays defensively and with the commonality in NBA sets at Colorado also make the potential transition easier.
He probably fits Indiana as well as anyone in the league, and I can see him also landing in New York with the Knicks, as we know Phil Jackson likes bigger guards.
However he always have problems defending the elite uber athletic guards that are all over the NBA now....the John Wall/Teague/Rose types. Factoring that in is where the trick lies for the Pacers front office in 2 days from now. Still, I think Dinwiddie rates as an eventual starting point guard on a bad team, or a really nice back up on a good team. Getting a guy like that on a rookie contract is a smart thing to do.
NBA comparable: Somewhere between Jarrett Jack and Jose Calderon.
This now concludes the 9 profiles of guys I am going to do full profiles on before the draft. Tomorrow, I'll have quick thoughts on a variety of players throughout the country that I have made notes on, and on Thursday I'll try and predict what happens on draft night where our team is concerned along with laying what my own target list and order would look like, including the annual "call your shot" thread.
This time until next time......
Tbird
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