The signing of Spencer Dinwiddie was supposed to give the Charlotte Hornets a steady veteran presence at point guard, even if the move shocked some of the organization's fans. Unfortunately, that's not what happened in his first game in the purple and teal, and it's hard to imagine him delivering quality minutes to the team once the regular season starts.
Of course, this take may just be an overreaction to his dud on Sunday, when Charlotte took on the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, for a preseason bout. Hornets fans want Dinwiddie to thrive, regardless of the role and amount of playing time the coaching staff assigns him.
Hopefully, his disappointing performance against the Thunder won't be a recurring theme. If anything, it should be the exception and not the norm, especially considering how long he has been in the league.
Dinwiddie was the lone guy on the team who laid an egg, missing his three field-goal attempts (all from 3-point range) in 11 minutes of action. Hornets reporter James Plowright summarized succinctly how "head scratching" his debut went.
Dinwiddie with some head scratching decisions on both ends in his first few minutes
— James Plowright (@British_Buzz) October 5, 2025
Efficiency and consistency are not the words to describe the vet
Despite the 32-year-old having had a lengthy tenure in the NBA, he has yet to prove capable of becoming a reliable veteran and locker room leader.
His shot selection has regularly been questionable, as evidenced by his 41.4 percent shooting from the field through his career so far. And even though Dinwiddie has mostly played as a point guard, he has registered just 6.6 assists per 36 minutes across 11 seasons — not exactly inspiring numbers for a playmaker.
Perhaps the former second-round pick can show some improvement through the rest of the preseason. If he can't, then it's tough to envision him delivering some value to the franchise, not as a rotation player or a trade piece later in the campaign.
Charlotte is likely desiring that he can defy expectations, more so because the organization has had to let go of a few players to open up a roster spot for Dinwiddie and other additions.
For instance, it didn't guarantee Josh Okogie's deal for the 2025-26 season, and the current Houston Rocket could have given the Hornets a needed point-of-attack defender. Nick Smith Jr. also had to be unsurprisingly waived, only two years after they drafted him in the first round. Another player has to be released before the opening of the regular season to bring down the number of standard-contract players to 15.
So, Dinwiddie may have to live up to, if not defy, expectations in Charlotte to justify the team's decision to acquire him.