'TS%? Shot quality? Volume?": Spencer Dinwiddie provides context to league-worst shooting percentage amid Nets slide

Spencer Dinwiddie is having one of the worst seasons of his NBA career. The Brooklyn Nets star saw a substantial dip in his production on the offensive side of the floor. Moreover, the Nets are also going through a rough patch, having dropped eight of their last 10 games.

This season, Dinwiddie has played 40 games and has been shooting at low efficiency from the floor. He is among the league’s worst players in terms of field goal percentage(39.9%).

On Jan 18, NBA Central posted the list of top five players with the worst field goal percentage in the league. The list had Dinwiddie occupying the top spot with a field goal percentage of 38.7%.

The Nets star replied to the post after four days. Dinwiddie implied that the field goal percentage doesn’t give the full idea about the player’s efficiency on the field.

“TS%? Shot quality? Volume?” Dinwiddie wrote in an X/Twitter repost.

Dinwiddie might be right in pointing to the fact that unlike TS% (Total Shooting%) and Effective Field Goal% (eFG%), the FG% (Field Goal Percentage) doesn’t give a clear picture of a player.

Total Shooting Percentage also includes other factors like 3-point shooting percentage and free-throw shooting percentage. In both free throws and 3-point shooting, Dinwiddie has a respectable percentage.

Currently, Spencer Dinwiddie holds the ninth spot in the league among the players with the worst FG%. Scoot Handerson, with a league-worst 36.4 %, from the field is on the top of the list.

However, the advanced stats do not exactly redeem him, although it is clear the FG% stats do not paint the full picture. His shots volume has decreased. He is now averaging 7.3 shot attempts per game and is out of the top 100 from the Shot Quality Per Attempt (SQPP) chart.

However, his True Shooting % is 54.3% which, according to this post by NBA reporter Billy Reinhardt on X, places him above the likes of Paolo Banchero amd Russell Westbrook.

Assessing Spencer Dinwiddie's performance this season for the Nets

Though never a star player, Spencer Dinwiddie has been a fairly efficient player in the league. He would generally be an excellent addition to any team offensively, with his scoring ability. However, this season, Dinwiddie is not just finding it hard to maintain his efficiency but also his aggression on the court.

Dinwiddie has been one of the many names in the Nets’ trade packages for the trade deadline in February. However, with his current form, the Nets are struggling to find many suitors for him.

He is not only shooting poorly, he has largely failed to show up when his team has needed him in crunch time. He played nine games in January, among which, he has seven games with single-digit FG attempts.

In Nov. 2023, Spencer Dinwiddie averaged 11.6 and the next month, he averaged 12.9 FGA. However, in January, his numbers have hit a new low, averaging only 7.3 FGA.

His sinking performance has had a direct impact on the Nets’ overall performance. With a 17-25 record, the Nets are 11th in the Eastern Conference.