Spencer Dinwiddie is joining a franchise in the Washington Wizards with a strong lineage of star point guards in Russell Westbrook, John Wall and Gilbert Arenas that goes back for decades.
Dinwiddie tempered expectations on the oncoming comparisons to those star point guards via ESPN.
“I’m not Gilbert, John or Russ. Those are all dudes with very interesting personalities,” Dinwiddie said Monday. “You’ve got some of the best players — obviously Russ, one of the best players to ever play in terms of the triple-doubles. You’ve got Gilbert, one of the best scorers of all time. You’ve got John, who had an extended run when you could argue he was the best point guard in the league.”
Dinwiddie only played three games for the Brooklyn Nets last season due to a partial ACL tear back in December. He is expected to be in the Wizards starting lineup on opening night. Spencer’s rise from being a second-round draft pick reached new heights when he was named a finalist for the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
He then followed up that performance with a career-high scoring average of 20.6 points the next season with 6.8 assists while shooting 41.5 percent from the field.
Washington will look to team Dinwiddie up with Bradley Beal and make the transition from Westbrook, who was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Soon after, Washington agreed to terms with Spencer in a sign and trade deal to become a part of the blockbuster trade that sent Westbrook to Los Angeles.
