Can role change be culprit in Spencer Dinwiddie’s drop-off?

CHICAGO — For much of this season, point guard Spencer Dinwiddie was the poster boy for the Nets’ development program for the way he successfully took control of the team after injuries to Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell. But Dinwiddie’s drop-off since the All-Star break that led to the loss of his starting job has prompted questions from fans, media and even coach Kenny Atkinson about his up-and-down performance chart.

Before the All-Star break, Dinwiddie was averaging 13.0 points and 6.9 assists. In the first nine games after the break when Russell joined him in the starting lineup, Dinwiddie’s scoring dipped to 9.0 points even as his assists climbed to 7.9. In the 11 games since Atkinson moved Dinwiddie to the second unit before the Nets faced Chicago on Saturday night at United Center, Dinwiddie has averaged 10.1 points and 4.4 assists and has been more inconsistent.

“He just became a less assertive player, and that was not the message from us, especially when we made the change,” Atkinson said. “It was more like, ‘You’re going to play similar minutes and we want you to be that assertive guy.’ I felt like there were games where he’s kind of stepped back, not driving nearly as much. It’s a little bit perplexing, and he and I have had a lot of different conversations about it.”

Asked how difficult the adjustment to coming off the bench has been after his earlier success, Dinwiddie said, “People keep asking me that. It’s almost in a loaded fashion. ‘How do you feel about the lineup change? Did things change for you?’ Obviously, they did. But that’s part of the game.

“Things changed when we traded Tyler Zeller and inserted Jarrett Allen. That’s been the story of our season. People have been hurt for an extended period of time. With every injury and every lineup change, everything changes. It just so happened me coming off the bench was the latest change.”

When he calls a question he’s faced “loaded,” Dinwiddie means it implies that there might be a disconnect between himself and Russell, who arrived last summer as the projected cornerstone of the franchise only to be supplanted by Dinwiddie while he spent 10 weeks recovering from a knee injury.

How does Dinwiddie view his relationship with Russell? “I think it’s fine,” he said. “He’s a great guy, great teammate. We’re just going to try and continue to figure things out from a winning perspective as a unit. That’s what this is all about.”

Dinwiddie adamantly denies that the lineup change affected his confidence. He believes he has proved he is a starting-caliber NBA point guard.

Explaining his apparent drop-off, Dinwiddie said, “The role is different. To be expected to do the exact same thing with a different role, it’s not the most practical thing in the world. People come up with different things, and I’m all ears. Whatever [coaches] tell me I need to work on, I need to work on it.

“As far as the change, I’m no idiot. I expected that to happen. Part of the reason I took it well is because I kind of knew it was coming. What was I supposed to do? Be mad? That doesn’t make too much sense.”

Atkinson agrees Dinwiddie has taken the role change in a mature, team-first fashion. “Really, we thought it was best for the team,” Atkinson said. “At the end of the season, we’ll have to look back and judge what that looks like and what that’s going to look like going forward because what we’re trying to do is squeeze the best out of both [Russell and Dinwiddie]. I’m not sure, in retrospect, it was the best for Spencer. But I thought for the team it was the right thing to do.”

The backcourt situation will grow more complicated next season when a healthy Lin returns. Asked if he expects Dinwiddie to still be an important part of the Nets’ future, Atkinson said, “No doubt about it.

“We haven’t established anything, really. When you win [26] games, you’re constantly searching. I think next year is going to be another open competition for jobs. I think that’s where we are. There are no guarantees for any of us.”

Dinwiddie reasserted his appreciation for the opportunity the Nets have given him and his desire to remain with them, but he understands more changes might lie ahead. “I’m a 25-year-old dude on a minimum contract trying to feed his family,” Dinwiddie said. “So I’ve got to go out there and prove myself and fight. All the rest of what I’ve done this year is what it is. It’s on teams to decide if that’s enough.”

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.