ORLANDO | It’s no surprise that Spencer Dinwiddie is having fun right now.
After missing eight months with a torn ACL during his final season at Colorado, the rookie has slowly but surely made his way into the Detroit Pistons rotation. His modest numbers won’t drop any jaws, but his maturity and attitude make up for it.
With the Pistons clinging to their (distant) playoff hopes against the Orlando Magic on Saturday, Dinwiddie was on the Amway Center court warming up before most of his teammates — three hours before tip.
“I’m much more comfortable now, and it’s fun,” said Dinwiddie, who’s averaged six points and four assists in March. “Basketball is fun and I think the vets have a little more confidence in me, so when I make a mistake it’s not the end of the world.”
With the Pistons consistent roster upheaval — specifically at point guard — it’s a credit to Dinwiddie for staying engaged throughout. After beginning the year as the Pistons No. 3 point guard, he climbed the ladder as Detroit cycled through starters.
But it was after Brandon Jennings’ injury, when the Pistons signed John Lucas III, that really signaled Dinwiddie’s entrance. He strung together a handful of good games, led by a 20-point outing against he Wizards, and leaped over Lucas for the primary backup spot.
And he hasn’t looked back.
Even against the Magic, when his solid 7-point, 6-assist showing was overshadowed by Reggie Jackson’s 26-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple double, Dinwiddie was quick in his assessment of the Pistons remedy against the Magic.
“We played defense,” he deadpanned. “Real talk. Stan (Van Gundy) told us they shot 61 percent in the first half, I believe it was. Everything at the rim, layups, 32 points in the paint. You can’t win like that, no matter who you’re playing.
“We’re all pros out here — we’re all very good players — so you can’t win like that.”
That isn’t the kind of comment you expect out of somebody playing their 32nd game in the NBA, but that’s just the kind of guy he is. There aren’t individual goals over the final stretch, though he has plenty to work on.
His ability as a playmaker, especially in some offensively-challenged lineups, has earned him more time. At the same time, his inability to shoot or score efficiently has hurt his production. It’s always good to see a young point guard with a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, but it doesn’t shine quite as brightly when he’s shooting 30 percent from the field.
Don’t blame those struggles on his knee, though. Dinwiddie said he isn’t thinking about that anymore — “You can’t do that, you can’t think about it. I decided to approach my rehab and not think about it.”
Dinwiddie said his one goal for the final nine games is making the playoffs. The Pistons have dug themselves quite a hole, and they trail Brooklyn by 4.5 games for the East’s final playoff spot.
Oh, and they would also have to leapfrog four teams, too.
But looking around the locker room after Friday’s 111-97 win, this team is still monitoring the scores around the league and talking about who they need to lose games.
And, hey, maybe Dinwiddie is right. No one knows what will happen, but as long as the Pistons are trying to make this season matter, the rookie will feel good about his impact.
“I’m a point guard, so I’m judged on wins,” he said. “If we make the playoffs, I think I had a successful season, especially as a backup and us being able to come from behind how we have and kind of being the underdog and doing some special things.”