The Los Angeles Lakers finally made their first trade of the 2024-25 season, swapping out D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second round picks for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton to give JJ Redick’s team some defensive toughness and 3-point shooting.
Finney-Smith was a hot commodity in the trade market, with the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly getting close to completing a deal before the Lakers offered enough to convince the Brooklyn Nets to send him to Los Angeles. The Nets apparently didn’t like the heavily-protected first the Grizzlies were offering and the Lakers’ future second round picks were deemed more valuable.
Finney-Smith is the centerpiece of the trade, a true 3-and-D wing forward who can slide up or down a position defensively. While he used to be able to defend bigger guards, he’s best defending opposing forwards and even small-ball centers in certain matchups. Meanwhile, Milton can help absorb some of the playmaking and outside shooting responsibilities that Russell left behind.
Redick has implied he would like to play smaller and shoot more 3-pointers, so acquiring Finney-Smith goes a long way in realizing that vision. Howeve, Redick also expressed a desire to be more physical as a group when discussing his New Year’s resolution for the team.
“I think we’ve been trending in that direction with the addition of Dorian (Finney-Smith), in particular, but I’d like us to be a more physical team,” Redick said before the team’s first game on 2025.
Los Angeles has had moments of being too soft on the floor, letting the physicality from opponents affect their on-court production. For example, in their loss to the Detroit Pistons the Lakers failed to match their physical play style and the lack of calls seemed to throw them off their game on both ends of the floor.
One of the underrated areas of Finney-Smith’s game is his willingness to embrace the dirty work and scrap underneath, especially when he’s guarding bigger players. Redick and the coaching staff have seen the team play with more force in recent games, and Finney-Smith fits into their preferred playing style.
Although it will take some time for Finney-Smith to get fully acclimated, it’s easy to envision the role he will play on the Lakers and how he can impact winning even when he isn’t scoring.
Anthony Davis discusses Lakers debuts of Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton
Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton made their Lakers debut in the loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers. While both played sparingly off the bench, Anthony Davis noted they’ll be able to help L.A. once they get up to speed.
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