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We're now one day away from finding out where Spencer Dinwiddie will be heading to begin his NBA career so to prepare for an influx of visitors flocking to the site to find out more about their new draftee we prepared a quick Q&A to answer some questions about The Mayor. Feel free to leave your additional thoughts in the comments.
1. How is this prospect perceived on campus / how will he be remembered?
Spencer Dinwiddie was perceived as The Mayor on campus and he was arguably the best player that Tad Boyle coached at Colorado ahead of previous first-round draft picks Andre Roberson and Alec Burks. He will be thought of as the 6-foot-6 point guard from Los Angeles who couldn't get recruited to more prestigious Pac-12 schools and proved those schools wrong time and time again. Colorado's lackluster 9-10 finish along with the 77-48 blowout they suffered against Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament showed how much leadership and success the Buffs missed without him.
He enters the NBA Draft with career averages of 13 points, 2.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game which don't seem like star numbers at first glance. But he also improved his offensive rating, free throw rate, free-throw percentage, three-point percentage, assist rate and true shooting percentage each season at Colorado. He will be remembered as one of the key players who helped transform the Colorado basketball program under Tad Boyle and the leading force behind three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
2. What anecdote or story best typifies his time at your school?
28 points, 11-for-11 from the free-throw line, four assists and zero turnovers in 36 minutes. That was Dinwiddie's performance against rival Colorado State while on the road this season. With just under three minutes to go, the score was tied at 58. Then Dinwiddie scored five straight points and had seven of Colorado's final nine points leading them to a 67-62 victory. As time expired, Dinwiddie stood on the court symbolizing the gut punch the Buffs had just delivered to the Rams for the third consecutive time.
3. What parts of the draft evaluation coverage about the prospect do you think is wrong or missing?
Dinwiddie is being vastly underrated due to his injury. He's currently projected to go in the second round, but would still be a steal in the late part of the first round. He's a 6-foot-6 combo guard that can bring defensive versatility, shoot the three and has the ability to get to the free-throw line. At times, he can be too passive on the court.
4. What will fans of the NBA love and/or hate about this prospect?
There's not much to hate about a player who tirelessly works, never stops improving and is filled with confidence. If Dinwiddie can get back to where he was before the injury then he should make some NBA GM look very, very smart. He's a great interview and is always good for an awesome quote.
5. Anything else you want to share about him?
Despite the injury, he's a safe pick. He's very durable and had no injury problems prior to tearing his ACL. He has a long career ahead of him and should be a rotation player and contributor off the bench.
