Los Angeles Lakers guard Spencer Dinwiddie has had trouble adjusting to life as a member of the Purple and Gold.
His play has been mediocre to subpar through his first eight games in Los Angeles. However, like many things, it takes time to adjust, and his time as a Laker is no different.
The inconsistency is evident while he’s had some good and bad moments. In a recent interview with the media, including OC Register’s Khobi Price, head coach Darivn Ham explained the advice he is offering the 30-year-old guard. Here’s Ham breaking down what he’s told Dinwiddie.
“I basically told him to be aggressive and let us figure it out around you,” Coach Darvin Ham said a few hours before Thursday’s home game against the Washington Wizards. “So many times he penetrates the paint looking for the right pass or the right play to make for his teammates, which is a great thing. But a lot of times, probably 90% of the time the defense is going to tell you what to do with the ball once you penetrate.
“So just telling him to be aggressive. It was one play in front of our bench, second half he’s bringing it and he ends up going into an EO attack, early offensive attack and gets to the rim and finishes and I yelled at him attack. I want him to be aggressive and feel comfortable being aggressive because everybody in the locker room is comfortable with him being aggressive. That’ll come. He’s working through it. [Wednesday] was a big step in the right direction and I expect it to continue.”
—Darvin Ham, via OC Register
In eight games in Los Angeles, Dinwiddie is putting up 5.5 points per game on 36.4% shooting, 3.6 assists, 0.8 rebounds, and 0.5 steals in 23.8 minutes of action.
It hasn’t been as seamless a fit as many thought it would be, but with plenty of games left, Dinwiddie should start to find his groove. His best game came against the Clippers in their comeback win, where he dropped seven points, six assists, and two boards in 20 minutes.
Hopefully, we will see more of that in the next month-plus for the purple and gold.
