FA: Spencer Dinwiddie Heads to DAL | 1 yr/vet min

[mvossman]

While I agree that Maxi will be the player they use as a "small ball center," I think that he will be used mostly as a PF, and only minimally as a C, because I don't think they want to be a small ball team. I think playing Gafford-Lively has become an advantage that they will continue to embrace. Having the personnel on the floor for lots of dunks is a great complement to players who benefit from wide open 3's.

I also think Maxi is in their general mix of 3-and-D wings, and the fact that bigger ones (PF size) are hard to find has made him a good answer for that role. You mention Naji, and I agree he will will get 3-and-D minutes too.

" By having Naji play the backup 4 minutes, you open up a lot more minutes for the backlog at 1-3." -- I think the problem, such as it may be, is mostly with the pursuit of traditional positional labels. That's why I outlined how I expect that when everyone is healthy, 96 mpg or so would go to Luka-Kyrie-Klay, playing in various combos, and 96 mpg would be used for wing defenders (3-and-D, essentially) and noted the players who would be in that mix (PJW being in the starting lineup, and non-starter minutes going to Maxi, Naji, Grimes, Exum).

Let me put it a different way, I expect Luka, PJ and Naji to be well ahead of Maxi on the depth chart of "big" 3&D wings.