Make no mistake about it — the Los Angeles Lakers gave up a lot for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.
Although the writing has been on the wall for D’Angelo Russell for quite some time, he’s still a former No. 2 with plenty of skill. Playing on a team like the Brooklyn Nets, where the only real expectations are internal, might bring the best out of him. To that point, Russell was solid for the Lakers during the regular season but he didn’t play nearly as well as the team hoped. It didn’t matter who was coaching the Lakers, he faded in the spotlight.
Maxwell Lewis is more of a theory than a rotation-caliber player so far in his career. Nonetheless, the 22-year-old has that in common with the three second-round picks that L.A. gave up in the package. With that in mind, as the Lakers only had five second-round picks through 2031, they were clearly very motivated to make this deal.
The reason why is simple.
What Will Dorian Finney-Smith’s Role Be With Lakers?
Los Angeles needs exactly what Finney-Smith brings to the table. He’s an athletic multipositional defender with a knack for making winning plays. Even after just a few short months around, Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez couldn’t help but lament his loss.
Jordi Fernandez on what the #Nets miss in Dorian Finney-Smith: “We miss toughness, leadership, day to day happiness and about being about the right things and all that stuff. It’s just very simple that if we were to have that maturity and that toughness, we close this game.”
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) December 29, 2024
Meanwhile, the Lakers’ only lockdown perimeter defender was 2019 No. 10 pick Cam Reddish. However, Reddish is in no man’s land offensively. He isn’t an efficient enough scorer to wind him up and let him go but he also looks out of place as a three-point specialist. His numbers underscore that, as he’s averaging 3.8 points in 19.5 minutes per game, shooting 30.6 percent from deep.
Max Christie, who now starts over Reddish, has made 36.0 percent of his threes in comparison. At the other end, he doesn’t have the agility or technique of Reddish but has shown respectable improvement. Now, even Dalton Knecht —a favorite of Lakers head coach JJ Redick —has been relegated to the second unit.
The Final Starter?
Finney-Smith could be the final evolution of the Lakers starting lineup. Not only is he an top-tier defender, he’s shooting a scorching 43.5 percent from deep. Because of his prowess in a 3-and-D role, he’s an even better option than Christie.
DFS defensive highlights pic.twitter.com/IpnuGyJoMb
— ℚ (@qshironalberti3) December 30, 2024
At 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, he’d also give Los Angeles a bigger look, as he weighs 30 more pounds than Christie. As the league is somewhat semi-positionless but hasn’t leaned fully into small-ball, this benefits the Lakers. Finney’s not just an optimal fit in the starting lineup, he makes L.A’s first unit more suited to guard modern NBA offenses.
With the Lakers currently ranking 18th in the NBA in opponent’s point per game (114.1) and 21st in defensive rating (114.9), he comes at the perfect time.
