When Luka Doncic was traded to the Lakers, it became increasingly evident to the world that the Lakers are planning to make him the face of their franchise for the coming decade. One of the key players on the Lakers who was delighted to hear this news was Doncic’s former teammate Dorian Finney-Smith. He almost couldn’t believe that Doncic was headed to the Lakers.
In a recent interview with Wavy TV 10, Finney-Smith spoke about how he felt when he reunited with Luka Doncic in the Lakers and how Doncic reacted to his move to the Rockets.
“Oh, man. I was so happy, man. To be honest, I thought I was going to finish my career with Luka in LA, but like I said, things happened. We were excited, you know, happy to get him back. Also sad that everything that happened, you know, with the trade, you know, him being, you know, just the whole emotional thing, the bad talk about his weight, and just all that, cause I knew who he is as a person.”
“He, you know, he won’t talk badly about anybody, and you know, he cares. Just like when I went to the Rockets, he shot me a text, ‘I’m happy for you. I’m proud of you. I know you’re excited to be back with your kids and family.’ Things like that show me that he cared.”
Doncic and Finney-Smith had been teammates ever since Doncic was drafted to the NBA in 2018. They both played on the Mavericks till 2023 before Finney-Smith was traded to the Nets for Kyrie Irving. They then reunited in LA while playing for the Lakers last season, and now have been separated again due to Finney-Smith’s move to the Rockets.
Experts were shocked to see the Lakers let Dorian Finney-Smith walk away as a free agent this summer, considering his fit on the roster with Luka Doncic. The Lakers indicated that they plan to rebuild around Doncic this summer, but they let go of a key asset who could’ve been crucial for the Lakers in the coming seasons.
As a sharpshooting wing who is defensively skilled, Finney Smith perfectly fits the profile of the type of player the Lakers need at the moment to play alongside Luka.
A career 36.2% shooter from beyond the arc, Finney-Smith makes 38.1% of his corner threes on average, which became a key asset for the Mavericks in the time this duo played together there. Doncic’s ability to drive in and collapse the defense so he can kick out the ball to the corner for an open shot became the bread and butter of their offensive strategy.
The Lakers have now replaced Dorian Finney-Smith with Jake LaRavia, who last played for the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies. Do you think the Lakers will be able to replicate the chemistry between Finney-Smith and Doncic with LaRavia? I highly doubt it. But let us know what you think in the comments section.
