It is tough not to love NBA glue guys, right?
They are those players whose impact will not always show up in the box score. At the least, the numbers they post will not always provide a reflection that truly captures just how valuable they are to a team. However, there are times where those statistics will subtly creep through to tell at least part of the story.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, their guy who absolutely fits this category is Dorian Finney-Smith. The two-way wing was acquired in the deal that sent D'Angelo Russell packing out of Los Angeles for the second time in his career. Finney-Smith served as an excellent parting gift after another failed stint for the Lakers with their former second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
Now, the nine-year NBA veteran has stepped in to play a key role on this version of the Lakers. Finney-Smith continues to make his case for why he should be more and more involved in crucial instances for Los Angeles moving forward.
Finney-Smith continues to shine in the less obvious ways
Lakers reporter Jovan Buha recently highlighted the efforts of the Lakers wing in the episode of Buha's Block that followed the 110-102 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night. Finney-Smith received the honors of stat of the night from Buha. The 3-and-d wing posted a game-high +20 during his 33 minutes of on-court action.
With no Luka Doncic available for the contest, Los Angeles opted to elevate Finney-Smith to the starting lineup for the matchup and got to reap the rewards of doing so. The Lakers starting shooting guard for the night finished the evening with 10 points, six rebounds, two steals, and one block.
Most of the standard averages that people will pay attention to will not look eye-popping for Finney-Smith since joining Los Angeles. In 19 appearances for the Lakers, the Florida Gators product has registered 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point. That last one, admittedly, looks pretty good.
However, here is the noteworthy trend that reveals why Finney-Smith should be heavily involved in JJ Redick's master plan. Since joining the team in Hollywood, the versatile wing has only been a negative in the plus/minus four times out of his 19 games.
Finney-Smith has posted at least +11 in 10 of those games. Likewise, the forward has only had one single contest where he posted worse than -10 (the 24-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 13).
Finney-Smith has only been a negative in that category once during his last 11 games played for Los Angeles. A couple of things are worth discussing from that stretch. Firstly, the Lakers forward was only a -2 in that sole negative performance. Secondly, he has averaged +11.9 during that span. Lastly, Finney-Smith started six of those 11 games.
Admittedly, this statistical category is not a perfect one. However, it feels difficult to ignore a trend staring one in the face so plainly. Finney-Smith should figure to play a crucial role for the remainder of the 2024-25 NBA season for the Lakers. The defensive versatility and spacing that the Los Angeles forward brings to each individual outing on the court will undoubtedly be invaluable for this group.