Kidd didn’t plan for Spencer Dinwiddie to shine, but now he can’t bench him

The Dallas Mavericks have without a doubt been playing consistent basketball without Luka Doncic, as they have won three of their last four games with Doncic sidelined with a wrist injury.

Part of that has been from better defense, better pacing, and just overall scoring from all their guys.

This is exactly what Jason Kidd's philosophy is all about, take care of the defense end before all else, then go out and get buckets and play your role.

Part of Dallas winning their last six of seven games has to do with one key reserve and he is answering Jason Kidd's unexpected call for help.

Kidd reveals Dinwiddie stepping up this early wasn't the original plan

Spencer Dinwiddie coming back to the Mavs has paid dividends recently for Dallas basketball, as he is playing at an elite level at both ends of the floor. Fans were ecstatic when the Mavs signed Dinwiddie to a one-year deal during the offseason, and he has been on fire over the last two games.

Kidd recently praised Dinwiddie for his effort on both ends of the floor. He also revealed that it wasn't quite in the works for Dinwiddie to be on the court as much as he has been lately.

Kidd made a revelation by saying that Dinwiddie has been forced to play more minutes than originally expected, but he is responding valiantly.

"With injuries, we've asked him to do a little bit more here earlier in the season than we probably thought we would," Kidd said.

Kidd also mentioned the injury to Dante Exum that occurred before the season, hinting how Exum was planned to play some decent minutes.

In a time when it looked like Dinwiddie could be up in the air to see the bench more than the hardwood, Dinwiddie is simply doing his job and forcing Kidd's hand.

With the Mavericks being 4-1 without Luka Doncic this season, this has been Dinwiddie's opportunity to shine, and he's no doubt made magic happen. Dallas brought him in to be a spot starter and fill in during injuries, and that's exactly what he's done.

After a much-needed comeback performance against Atlanta, Dinwiddie has answered on Kidd's plea even more with a dominant victory against New York, with 21 points in 33 minutes on 3-5 shooting from 3-point land. Overall, he shot 8-11 from the field.

In the many questions that Kidd must answer this season, one of them will be if Dinwiddie can still perform like this on a night-by-night basis like he used to. Of course, it's not his fault that many of the newcomers were supposed to cut into his minutes, but he's very much a reliable scorer when he's dialed in.

Another question for Dinwiddie will be if he can keep his solid minutes going when Doncic and Klay Thompson come back.

When the Mavs have been at full strength, Dinwiddie at times has suffered with poor play on the court this season. When he's shooting at a high rate, he's helped the team win. When he's doing the opposite, he doesn't look playable.

The early part of 2025 will be important for Dinwiddie, either he'll keep his strong shooting going, or he'll be forced to watch Exum in a much anticipated return for Dallas.