Yes, it’s preseason. Yes, the games don’t count.
But habits can be built this time of year. Good feelings can start here.
And, so, it does matter that Spencer Dinwiddie has started out well.
It is important for the Nets and their point guard that he has attempted 11 3-pointers and made nine.
Especially when you consider he shot only 28.9 percent from distance after coming over in the Kyrie Irving trade in February.
“You know, I talked about it, the beginning of the year. Him being able to shoot catch and shoot 3s for us, definitely pretty historic if you look at his stats catch and shoot[-wise],” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.
“And like I said, if he can shoot 6 ¹/₂ of those a game, that helps us. But he has the ability to shoot it at a high level. He also has the ability to get downhill into the paint. So we just don’t want him just shooting 3s. But the ability to do both for us [is there].”
Dinwiddie’s role was different with the Nets last year.
He was handling the ball and running the show, notching 9.1 assists in his 26 games in Brooklyn.
His shooting percentage dipped, and not just from 3-point range, falling to 40.4 percent.
That may change this season with a healthy Ben Simmons potentially playing point forward.
“Basketball is basketball. I pride myself on being one of the more complete players in the league and [being] able to do a variety of different things,” he said. “Whatever is asked of me, I try to do the best of my ability every night.”
Dinwiddie had a strong stint with the Mavericks playing off the ball next to Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson. Last year, he was averaging 17.7 points and shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range at the time of the trade.
Furthermore, Dinwiddie made 43.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts with Dallas last year, and 44.2 percent of his 3-pointers in such situations. In 2021-22, he hit 42.3 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts.
Playing him off the ball could be beneficial to the Nets.
It will be interesting to see how they handle it. It’s a factor in Vaughn’s plans for the final two preseason contests. He didn’t sound like he wanted to rest guys, as many other teams have.
“I think we would go a little bit the opposite way. … The part of that for me is just [to] get rhythm,” he said. “Trying to get a little bit of a feel of combinations out there. It’s hard to do and if they don’t play. So in my ideal world, I’ll have a conversation with those guys. But we do want to see them play these two preseason games.”
