Recently, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Dinwiddie with a base salary of $1.5 million. Some people say that Dinwiddie's arrival is a relief for the Lakers, allowing the injury-plagued Lakers to increase bench depth, and some people say that judging from Dinwiddie's performance this season, his "passive slacking" may damage the Lakers' offensive space, which is not a good thing for the team.
So, is Dinwiddie the player the Lakers are waiting for, and will his arrival help the Lakers?
The data shows that this season, before trading to the Lakers, Dinwiddie played a total of 48 games, played more than 30 minutes per game, and was able to get 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6 assists, but both shooting percentage (39%) and three-point shooting percentage (32%) declined. Various statistics show that Dinwiddie's stats are not good this season, which is also an important reason why he was laid off.
It can be seen that Dinwiddie is not a player who can make the Lakers' overall roster soar greatly. But for the Lakers, it's not for nothing.
First of all, as far as this trade is concerned, the Lakers definitely made money. The Lakers only paid $1.5 million in annual salaries and $7.5 million in luxury taxes to make this deal. You know, although Dinwiddie's stats have declined this season, he is an excellent playmaker, and his passing ability and basketball IQ will help the Lakers better organize the offense and improve the team's overall offensive efficiency.
As Pelinka put it, "Dinwiddie's playmaking ability and aggressiveness at the guard position gave us valuable roster depth. ”
In this transaction, the Lakers are definitely doing big things with little money. Although, compared to the league's famous two-way guard at his peak, Dinwiddie has declined significantly this season, but Dinwiddie is already the best guard in the buyout market at the moment, and he can also help the Lakers in many ways.
The arrival of Dinwiddie will breathe new life into the Lakers' bench and greatly enhance the depth of the Lakers' roster. Not only can he play the role of a backup scorer, but he can also step up in key moments to stabilize the situation for the team. In addition, Dinwiddie has also performed well on the defensive end, and his arrival will further strengthen the Lakers' defensive strength and make the team more competitive on both ends of the floor.
Currently, Dinwiddie has played two games with the Lakers. In the game against the Pistons, Dinwiddie played 31 minutes and had 6 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. In the first game, Dinwiddie needed a process of adaptation because he had just arrived in a new environment, and he was too selfless in the game to create opportunities for his teammates. In the second game, Dinwiddie played 27 minutes and 37 seconds, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and scoring 10 points, 4 assists and 2 steals.
In the highly competitive Western Conference, the Lakers need more quality players to join. The arrival of Dinwiddie has provided the Lakers with more offensive options and enriched the team's tactical system. Although it will take time to see if he can help the Lakers win the championship, the addition of Dinwiddie has undoubtedly added more competitiveness to the Lakers. In this challenging season, let's look forward to Dinwiddie's wonderful performance with the Lakers and bring more victories to the Purple and Gold.