Spencer Dinwiddie is set to become the new superstar for FC Bayern Basketball. Munich urgently needs the former NBA star. A parallel to Dennis Schröder gives hope.
The new superstar hasn’t even arrived in Munich yet, but it’s already clear how desperately FC Bayern Basketball needs the new star player Spencer Dinwiddie.
After another clear home defeat against Olympiakos Piraeus, Bayern dropped to 19th place in the EuroLeague. While losing to one of the top teams is understandable – the manner of the defeat in particular gives cause for concern.
Spencer Dinwiddie is supposed to push FC Bayern forward?
The game against Piraeus was already the second home game that was decided by the beginning of the fourth quarter, following the disappointing match against Zalgiris Kaunas. There were none of these in last season’s so exciting campaign.
Notably, the point guards in particular are causing major problems. Neither Xavier Rathan-Mayes, Stefan Jovic, Justus Hollatz nor Kamar Baldwin managed to score even a single point in the first half against the Greeks.
Bayern scored only 29 points total and went into halftime with an 18-point deficit. It became very clear: Bayern needs a savior.
New Bayern star dominated in the NBA
And this is exactly what Spencer Dinwiddie can and should become. A player who could definitely become one of the best basketball players in the EuroLeague.
“Spencer is an electrifying player, he can score and create for others and had great years in the NBA,” Gordon Herbert expressed his delight about signing the American: “It’s fantastic that we’re bringing this high-profile player to Munich.”
Dinwiddie demonstrated how good he can be over years in the NBA. He played 621 total games in the world’s best league, averaging 13 points and 5.1 assists. In his best season 2019/20, he even averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists for the Brooklyn Nets.
Subsequently, he tore his ACL for the second time and consequently lost some of the athleticism that had characterized his game. His offensive role in the NBA became somewhat smaller, even though he continued to log significant minutes.
He spent the past season with the Dallas Mavericks and still averaged eleven points in approximately 27 minutes per game.
Dinwiddie? Adjustment period could take “up to three months”
The loss in athleticism shouldn’t be a problem for Dinwiddie in the EuroLeague. He’s still a strong isolation player who, at 1.96 meters, towers over most guards in the EuroLeague and with his bulky body will likely always find a way to the basket.
Specifically, the ability of a player to effectively and consistently create his own shot is completely missing for Bayern this season. Against strong defenses, like against Kaunas or Piraeus, no player really manages to efficiently create their own shot. This often resulted in forced shots against defenders, which rarely ended successfully.
Due to the static offense, Bayern rarely creates open three-point shots this season, which was a major strength of the team last season. Dinwiddie can provide relief here too. With his drives, he can also create for others and often finds the open teammate after attacking the basket.
Dinwiddie definitely brings qualities that the current squad lacks. However, head coach Gordon Herbert tempered the euphoria when asked by SPORT1: “We have to wait and see because he’s a player who has only played in the NBA so far and has never played in Europe. The game here is simply different. This will definitely require a transition period. The question will be whether he needs one to two weeks or two to three months.”
Dinwiddie and Schröder with identical statistics
But Bayern can’t really afford such a long adjustment period. After the weak start to the season and only two wins from six games, victories are urgently needed to not lose touch with the declared season goal of Play-In positions (at least tenth place).
Bayern probably needs a Spencer Dinwiddie in good form as early as next week (with two home games against Real Madrid and Virtus Bologna).
FCBB can take hope from a very specific comparison that should at least let Bayern fans dream. Looking at the new signing’s numbers from the past three NBA seasons, it’s noticeable that he has almost exactly the same statistics as German hero and FIBA superstar Dennis Schröder.
According to data from the statistics portal Statmuse, Schröder played 221 NBA games during this period, averaging 29.8 minutes, 13.3 points (42% field goal percentage, 35.2% three-point percentage), 2.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Dinwiddie’s numbers read almost identically with 13 points (41.9% field goal percentage, 35% three-point percentage), 2.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 30 minutes (234 games).
Spencer Dinwiddie played successfully in the NBA
But when Schröder played in FIBA competitions for the German national team, he exploded and became an almost unstoppable superstar. If Dinwiddie can make this adjustment in Europe too and perform like the World Cup and European Championship MVP, he could become one of the EuroLeague’s top players.
Is Dinwiddie Bayern’s missing puzzle piece?
Additionally good for Bayern: Schröder exploded particularly under Coach Gordon Herbert. The Canadian always gives his stars plenty of freedom. Similarly, Carsen Edwards’ numbers went through the roof last year.
Furthermore, Herbert knows his new star well. During his best season in the NBA, Herbert worked as a consultant in Brooklyn. “I think we have a good team with good pieces. Hopefully Spencer is now the puzzle piece that finally gets us rolling,” Herbert said about Dinwiddie on MagentaSport.
What the coach means by this: Bayern had built a quite rounded team in the summer around Rokas Jokubaitis, who was planned as the key player. The Lithuanian had specifically named Coach Herbert as a reason for his move to Munich.
Jokubaitis was supposed to lead the team. Numerous strong role players were placed around him. But then he tore his ACL and it quickly became clear that none of the role players could consistently step into the leadership role alone.
But now with Dinwiddie, such a leader is here who should get the previously weak Bayern offense (last place in the EuroLeague) going. For this, the 32-year-old needs to settle in quickly.
Ideally with a strong debut in the upcoming week.