Spencer Dinwiddie

Last offseason, Dinwiddie signed a three-year, $54 million deal with the Wizards after spending the previous half decade with the Nets. He was coming off a severe knee injury, limiting him to just three games in 2020-21. The veteran's performance with Washington was up and down, with the lows being awful. During a 14-game stretch from Nov. 17 through Dec. 18, he shot just 30.9 percent for 8.2 points per game. During a seven-game stretch from Jan. 23 through Feb. 17, he shot just 25.6 percent for 6.7 points per game. However, his performances picked up more consistently after he was traded to the Mavericks for Kristaps Porzingis. During the guard's 23 games with the Mavs, he averaged 15.8 points on 50/40/73 shooting, 3.9 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 28.3 minutes. He continued solid play throughout the playoffs, hitting 41.7 percent of his 5.3 three-point attempts per game. Fantasy managers have a right to be skeptical about Dinwiddie's post-trade production since it was some of the best basketball of his career following some of the worst basketball of his career. However, the workload should at least remain steady. Dinwiddie doesn't have massive upside, but managers in deeper leagues can justify grabbing Dinwiddie towards the end of drafts.

Dinwiddie had high hopes coming into the 2020-21 season after his best season during the 2019-20 campaign. A serious knee injury three games into the 2020-21 season forced the guard to miss the remainder of the year. By the start of the 2021-22 season, Dinwiddie will have had almost 10 full months of rehab for his knee, so the guard will likely be at full health. In his last full season, the 28-year-old finished the year with 20.6 points, 6.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 64 games. This season, expectations will be high for Dinwiddie, as he joined the Wizards and is expected to be their starting point guard. The former Colorado star will play alongside one of the league's best scorers in Bradley Beal, which could help boost his assists. The Wizards also lack a number two scoring option behind Beal, so Dinwiddie could pick up that role. Dinwiddie will fill a crucial hole for the Wizards, but it's hard to gauge where the guard should be drafted, as he's coming off a serious injury and is joining a new team. Ultimately, given his situation in Washington, Dinwiddie should see plenty of production as the starting point guard for a revamped Wizards team.

Dinwiddie had a career year in 2019-20, averaging 20.6 points, 6.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.9 threes in 31.2 minutes while starting 49 of his 64 appearances. Much of his increased usage was due to Kyrie Irving's injury woes, as Irving appeared in only 20 games. This season, Irving is healthy, and Kevin Durant is joining the mix as well. With those two in the fold, plus the continuing emergence of Caris LeVert, minutes and usage will be tougher to come by for Dinwiddie. On a per-game basis across the past three seasons, Dinwiddie has ranked between 90-118 in eight-category fantasy leagues. Given the situation around him, he's likely to be toward the back end of that this season. He still figures to be a good source of points and assists, though.

Dinwiddie's production continued to ascend during his third year with Brooklyn. He logged at least 28.1 minutes per night for the second straight season and appeared in 68 contests. He took a more aggressive offensive approach in 2018-19, scoring a career-high 16.8 points to go along with 4.6 assists -- fewer than his 6.6 dimes from the season prior -- and 2.4 rebounds. He also drained 1.8 threes for the second straight season at a respectable 33.5 percent clip. It was very encouraging to see Dinwiddie's usage remain steady even playing with a healthy D'Angelo Russell, who earned his first All-Star selection. Dinwiddie seems to have shown enough last season to warrant similar playing time in 2019-20 as a sixth man, giving him real fantasy value. The swap of high-usage point guards from Russell to Kyrie Irving shouldn't have a major impact on Dinwiddie's production, and he could be in for another big role on offense.

After playing a complementary role in his first season with Brooklyn, Dinwiddie was thrust into an expanded opportunity this past year and capitalized with a breakout performance. Nets' starting point guard, D'Angelo Russell, missed 34 games with an injury, which allowed Dinwiddie to average 28.8 minutes per game and also pick up starts in 58 of the 80 contests he played in. The fourth-year guard ended up being a fantastic facilitator and averaged 6.6 assists per game, which tied him with All-Star Damian Lillard for 12th best in the NBA. In addition, Dinwiddie posted career highs of 12.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 three-pointers, all up from 7.3, 2.8 and 0.6, respectively. The hefty increase in shot attempts didn't bode well for Dinwiddie's efficiency, as he shot just 38.7 percent from the field and 32.6 percent from three-point land. However, considering his lack of production in previous years and quick transition into one of the better facilitators in the league, Dinwiddie found himself in the conversation to earn the league's Most Improved Player award. He ultimately finished third in the running behind Victor Oladipo and Clint Capela, but it was still a good representation of the progress he made. Unfortunately for Dinwiddie's value, Russell is back to full strength and ready to reclaim the starting point guard role. In addition, the likes of Allen Crabbe, Joe Harris and Caris LeVert are all back as well, so there won't be many minutes available at shooting guard. As a result, look for Dinwiddie's playing time to take a significant hit and that means a drop in production can be expected. Considering Russell's injury history, Dinwiddie will be someone to monitor as he waits in the shadows for another opportunity for extended work. In the meantime, however, he'll have a tough time coming near his totals from the 2017-18 season.

The former Colorado standout has struggled to find his permanent footing in the NBA since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2014. Following a couple seasons as a backup, and frequent G-Leaguer, in Detroit, Dinwiddie came to Brooklyn last season and appeared in a career-high 59 contests. He made 18 starts and posted averages of 7.3 points, 3.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game, while shooting nearly 38 percent from three. At 6-foot-6, Dinwiddie offers intriguing size for the point guard position, and it's not hard to imagine the early years of his career unfolding differently had he not suffered a torn ACL during his final year at Colorado. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old should be in line for backup minutes with the Nets this season, and he could move into a more significant role in the event of an injury to entrenched starter D'Angelo Russell.

After two frustrating seasons in Detroit, Dinwiddie was quietly traded to Chicago in the offseason for reserve big man Cameron Bairstow. The Bulls waived Dinwiddie in early July, only to bring him back on a new contract later in the offseason. While Dinwiddie, once considered a lottery-caliber talent before tearing his ACL during his junior season at Colorado, has an intriguing blend of skill and size (6-foot-6), he was unable to break into the rotation in Detroit, appearing in just 46 games over the last two seasons. He'll likely struggle to find opportunities in Chicago as well, with Rajon Rondo, Jerian Grant and Isaiah Canaan all ahead of him on the projected depth chart.

Dinwiddie spent a lot of time on the bench as a rookie. Through the first half of the season, he was the third-string point guard behind Brandon Jennings and D.J. Augustin, and when the Pistons traded Augustin to the Thunder for Reggie Jackson, Dinwiddie served as Jackson's backup until a late-season ankle injury sidelined Dinwiddie for the final eight games. Through 34 games, he averaged 4.3 points, 0.4 three-pointers, 1.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.2 blocks in 13 minutes per game while shooting 30 percent from the field, 19 percent from three, and 91 percent from the line. Those efficiency numbers are marred by the fact that Dinwiddie was a rookie and still working his way back to full health most of the season after having undergone surgery in January of 2014 to repair a torn ACL that ended his final college season prematurely. At 6-6, Dinwiddie has great size for a point guard, and there are a lot of things to be excited about regarding his potential. He was a great shooter in college, and there's could be special someday, but it's going to be hard for him to get many minutes on the Pistons this season unless coach Stan Van Gundy gets a little more creative with his lineups or Jackson gets sidelined by an injury. Deeper dynasty leagues might be interested in Dinwiddie's potential in the next few years, but for single-season leagues, he's best left on the waiver wire until he earns a bigger role.

The Pistons selected Dinwiddie with the 38th-overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Originally considered a first-round talent and possible lottery pick, Dinwiddie dropped to the second round due to an ACL tear he suffered in January while playing for the University of Colorado. Prior to his injury, Dinwiddie was putting together a solid junior campaign, averaging 14.7 points, 3.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 three-pointers in 17 games. At 6-6, 205, Dinwiddie has great size for his position, and his skill set fits the mold of an all-around point guard. His role with the Pistons in 2014-15 is currently unknown, as a timetable for a return from his ACL tear is still unclear. Dinwiddie has personally stated a desire to be ready by training camp, but the Pistons have hinted at holding him out for the entire season. Regardless of your fantasy format, don't expect Dinwiddie to make an impact this season, but he's worth having on your radar in keeper leagues that value young prospects.