Getty Spencer Dinwiddie #26 of the Brooklyn Nets.
The Brooklyn Nets are 2-4 since the trade deadline leaving them with many questions to try and answer in their final 22 games. One answer they might already have is whether or not they will get the benefit of the doubt anymore.
“Every time me and Trae Young did the same move, he gets free throws,” Spencer Dinwiddie said, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “On my end, they’re like ‘Are you really shooting it?’ Well, what else was I doing? They’re like ‘I don’t know. It’s bang-bang.’ Remember that happened to me four times; that’s eight free throws. The game isn’t close. We lose by two; I had eight free throws. Trae Young got it every time.”
While Young seemed like the subject of Dinwiddie’s rant, his ire was directed at the officials.
He even called out one tweet from NBA Central for taking his words “out of context” suggesting that he expected to get the same type of calls as the Hawks’ star.
Out of context 🤦🏾♂️
Was never about a Trae comparison. The entire quote I spoke about realistic expectations and areas of growth for our team. The reality of life without a superstar on 50/50 plays. Been in the league 9yrs. I do not expect superstar treatment by any stretch.
Dinwiddie noted that his entire exchange with the media was about the Nets’ lack of star power without the benefit of a Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving, or as in this case, a Trae Young who went to the charity stripe nine times. To be fair, Nets youngster Cam Thomas also finished with nine free throw attempts.
The Nets also finished with one more free throw attempt as a team than the Hawks had. But, Dinwiddie says, some inconsistencies happen when one side has a star advantage as the Hawks did versus this iteration of the Nets.
New-Look Nets Lack Star Power
“I have a lot of last-second shots or game-winners, but it’s the lead-up that’s the tough part without superstars. That’s what people miss,” said Dinwiddie. “If [someone] tries to climb KD’s back, they’re going to call it. If KD says and-one, they’re not giving him a tech. All these things change the flow of the game. [Stars] can cuss them out, they can do whatever, and they’ll let all that s*** slide.
“That’s where you miss the superstars, especially in the fourth quarter. The stretch from six minutes to 30 [seconds] left, that’s really where you miss it. If you get fouled, if you get touched, you’re going to get the call.”
Head coach Jacque Vaughn has said he envisions lofty accolades for the current group including All-Star appearances and All-Defensive selections.
To Dinwiddie’s point, Ben Simmons is the Nets’ most-accomplished player in terms of accolades with three All-Star selections and a pair of All-Defensive nominations. But he has missed the last two games and has been an unwilling participant on offense when it comes to scoring this season putting the Nets in a jam.
Dinwiddie was given a technical foul for screaming at the official over a missed foul call.
Spencer got UP 😤
Young also received a tech in this game for arguing with one of the officials.
Dinwiddie – who is averaging 15.5 points on 53.1% true shooting since being traded along with Dorian Finney-Smith from the Dallas Mavericks for Irving and had 20 points in this one – has expressed great confidence in his ability to take and make the last shot, and he has been open about having less enthusiasm on defense, perhaps this is why.
Cam Johnson: Spencer Dinwiddie ‘Almost Got a Piece of It’
For whatever consolation it may be Dinwidde, teammate Cameron Johnson says he did his job.
Johnson – who had a team-high 27 points – has also been open about the struggles of adjusting to defense, though in a different sense.
“Defense is defense,” he said via the team’s YouTube channel. “You got to stop the other team. But once we kind of iron out those instances where you’re reacting a quarter of a second later, I think our defense will be a lot sharper. Once that becomes instinct, once we’re planning on that there’s a couple rotations that I know personally over the last five games that I’ve missed just because I’m kind of caught in the middle ground where my mind is reverting back to old habits. But I think it’s getting better.”