Spencer Dinwiddie on future crunch-time possessions: ‘I’ve got the most game-winners in the league’

Who needs a superstar closer when you have Spencer Dinwiddie on your roster?

Speaking to a small group of reporters after Nets practice on Thursday, Dinwiddie issued a reminder to those who believe the lack of star power will cost the Nets in buzzer-beating, crunch-time possessions.

“If we’re talking about just hitting game winners, like the actual shot itself? Oh, I’ve got the most in the league,” he said. “Aye, most in the league, so you tee me up, it’s a bucket.”

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It’s difficult to verify the validity of Dinwiddie’s claim because there are no central NBA database tracking players who hit game-winning shots.

There’s plenty of evidence, however, to suggest Dinwiddie has a strong case.

As recently as the Nets’ Feb. 11 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, a game where Mikal Bridges missed a driving layup that could have sent the game into overtime, Dinwiddie nailed a halfcourt shot that tied the game at 101 right up until officials waved off his shot, ruling fractions of a second after the final buzzer sounded.

There are also the back-to-back game-winners he hit for the Dallas Mavericks last March — including one buzzer-beater to sink the Nets.

And then, of course, there are myriad crunch-time shots Dinwiddie knocked down during his first stint with the Nets. He hit a game-winner against the Los Angeles Lakers two days before the NBA shut down and went on hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak. He hit a number of game winners against his former Detroit Pistons team and came up big for the Nets during the 2018-19 season in stretches where both D’Angelo Russell and Caris LeVert missed time due to injury.

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“You’ve gotta remember, man: I’ve probably seen all phases of the Nets,” he reminisced. “I’ve seen really bad, I’ve seen D-League development, I’ve seen like kinda good, superstars, championship expectations, back to like playoff expectations, gelling group, we’ll see what happens next. Do you go young? Do you stay trying to win now. Like, aye man, any form of the Nets you ask for, I’ve lived it, and I think it’s a pleasure to be back because of that.”

Dinwiddie, however, knows he’s not an NBA superstar. Why? Because he doesn’t get the respect from officials that stars traditionally garner consistently.

“I think where you miss the stars is you get the benefit of the doubt, you get calls, you get a little preferential treatment. Stuff like that,” he said. “Same kind of thing in Dallas: It’s kind of maybe the last four or five minutes where you’re gonna miss a star because any bang-bang play or questionable call, a star’s gonna get it every single time just based off reputation, respect, all that stuff, so that’s where we’re gonna have to be super sharp.

“But in terms of the ability to make the last shot, I have confidence in most of the guys on this team. Joe [Harris], Cam [Thomas], Cam [Johnson] Mikal [Bridges] — and like I said, most in the league, so tee me up and it’s a bucket.”

Was Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn aware of Dinwiddie’s title?

“I did not know that,” he said. “I think at the end of the day, it’s going to be a collective group trying to get us into position to be in a ball game in the fourth quarter. And like the other night, Mikal probably deserved to shoot the last ball if we needed one to be shot.

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“I’m quite sure Spencer is going to be on that list. We’ve seen Cam Thomas on that list, so it’ll be collective. I don’t know if we can pinpoint–say Spencer is going to shoot every game-winner for us. But it’s good to know he has some stats to back up having his name called.”