:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/34718741/20140105_jcd_bd3_126.0.jpg)
Michael Levin isn't the only writer at Liberty Ballers swooning over Spencer Dinwiddie's potential at the next level.
Watch this highlight video from his 17 games during his junior 2013-14 season before he tore his ACL:
Take note of the silky jumper, how he glides through the air to the rim, his effortlessly beautiful dimes to cutting big men.
Not only is he as long as a line at the DMV, he's nicknamed "The Mayor," has a sweet stash and owns one of, if not the, best names in this draft.
He averaged 15, 4 and 3 while shooting 41.3 percent from distance before getting nicked up. So, what's not to love? Why is he projected as a second rounder?
Teams just simply haven't seen Dinwiddie at 100% since his injury. If you checked with our friends at Draft Express back in November, Dinwiddie was projected to be drafted in the first round. Considering Dario Saric fell to 17 in DX's latest mock draft after signing a new contract overseas, you can't blame them for keeping Dinwiddie in the second until we actually see him play some full-court five-on-five.
Still, he's pretty much the best point guard prospect after Tyler Ennis, but he's more than just a point guard. Dinwiddie personifies the concept of all-purpose guards, the Russell Westbrook, Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe types that many are saying are taking over NBA back courts. He's got the ability to stretch the floor with his jumper and create for himself and his teammates off the dribble. Meanwhile, he's frankly a large enough human to dabble at guarding three positions at 6-6 with a 6-9 wingspan.
That's why he's a perfect fit for the Thunder at 29.
Everyone who watched OKC fall to the Spurs in the Western Conference could see the Thunder's offense grow stagnant when the going got rough. It's funny, many claim San Antonio is boring to watch. But as the Spurs picked apart the Thunder in Games 5 and 6, OKC was the team that became grueling to watch.
Too many of their possessions' outcomes were simply predetermined by whoever of Westrbook or Kevin Durant brought the ball up the court. Many cried that this was Scott Brook's fault, but can you really blame him? He didn't have many other options. Reggie Jackson is a nice piece and Serge Ibaka has turned into a solid scoring threat. But nobody on that team is going to be able to consistently create over the course of a seven-game series outside of Durant and Westbrook.
If you put Dinwiddie into the fold, it changes things. Suddenly, teams can't key in on stopping Reggie Jackson in the second unit because he can swing the ball over to the other wing and watch Dinwiddie attack the paint before dumping it off to Steven Adams for an easy jam. Defensively, he's another key cog in a well-oiled machine that gets by on athleticism and length.
You may think this selection was made solely to appease Levin, but Dinwiddie to OKC makes a lot of sense. Hell, if you're rooting for the kid to have a seamless comeback to the hardwood, playing for the Thunder might be the best thing for him.