The Los Angeles Lakers have made a trade after almost two years, acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets for D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks. The addition of Finney-Smith brings the Lakers closer to having one of the best starting-fives in the NBA with the potential to play a unique style of basketball under JJ Redick which few teams will have an answer for.
Let’s take a look at how the Lakers will line up with Finney-Smith on the franchise, especially including him in a starting lineup that features frontcourt stars like Rui Hachimura, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James. Although, one of those players might be moving away from the frontcourt in this new-look Lakers starting five.
Starting Lineup
Starters: LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith, Anthony Davis
The Lakers can dramatically alter their starting lineup after having made this move, returning LeBron James to the point guard role he’s been playing for the franchise all season. He’s averaging 9.0 assists this season, his second-highest mark as a Laker. He is a natural playmaker and can return to being the point guard after five years, with the last time he did this resulting in a championship for the Lakers in 2020.
Austin Reaves has been having a great season and would be the perfect combo guard next to LeBron. Reaves and LeBron have had great on-court chemistry for many years now, with a backcourt of the two being extremely dynamic. It would give the Lakers easily the most unique guard duo in the starting five, with James having excelled in this role in the past and Reaves enjoying a purple patch of form, averaging 26.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 13.0 assists over his last two games.
A frontcourt rotation of Rui Hachimura alongside Dorian Finney-Smith would provide a nice balance of big-bodied forwards who can play physically, stretch the floor, and create matchup problems for opponents. Finney-Smith joining the team also gives them a certified corner shooter who would benefit from LeBron’s on-ball playmaking. Hachimura has already proven his ability to be portable across different roles in the frontcourt, so this forward duo would be hard to stop.
Finally, this starting five will succeed mostly depending on what Anthony Davis does. He’s the undisputed No. 1 option on this team ahead of LeBron, with James moving to point guard also allowing Davis to get easier offensive opportunities. With a defender like Finney-Smith also protecting him, Davis’ impact as a rim protector should be greatly heightened and his defensive load can be reduced with Finney-Smith proving to be a capable small-ball five in specific lineups as well.
This five-man unit can wreak havoc in the West and have the Lakers climbing up the standings before any other move is made.
Reserves
Reserves: Max Christie, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, Shake Milton, Jaxson Hayes, Christian Koloko, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jarred Vanderbilt, Christian Wood, Bronny James
The Lakers bench remains unspectacular, with some arguing it’s gotten worse now that Russell’s scoring has gone. Max Christie will likely return to the bench to accommodate Finney-Smith, but he isn’t a scoring threat like Russell. The only offensive specialist on this bench is rookie Dalton Knecht, which should be worrying as the Lakers need competent offensive production off the bench as well to not be over-dependent on their starters.
The rotational players off the bench will likely be Christie, Vincent, Milton, Knecht, Reddish, and Hayes, who’s returning from a 20-game injury absence. Christian Koloko will also split minutes with Hayes depending on production and matchups, but there are glaring holes in this bench that need to be addressed. A scorer and another big are desperately needed for the Lakers to have a legitimate shot at contention.
Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood haven’t played a minute this season due to injury, but the franchise will hope Vanderbilt returns healthy enough to be a contributor off the bench as either a five or a four. Wood can be a solid scorer, so he would be a nice option after he’s healthy given the Lakers’ lack of offensive production on the bench now.
Jalen Hood-Schifino and Bronny James won’t see rotational minutes this season after these deals, with Schifino potentially being an option for future trades. The roster could use some more moves unquestionably, but it depends on how much more the Lakers are willing to give up in terms of assets and players for additional upgrades.
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