Remember when the world felt prefer it was ending final offseason, as the Los Angeles Lakers let Dorian Finney-Smith stroll to the Rockets in free company? You’d suppose they’d have let LeBron James go, or, even worse, Luka Dončić. As a lot as it will’ve made sense for LA to maintain DFS, the group couldn’t look any better than it has for not re-signing him.
If you had stated earlier than the season began that the Lakers could be up 2-0 on the Rockets within the first spherical of the playoffs, most individuals most likely would not have believed you. If you had stated that they’d be up 2-0, and that a wholesome Finney-Smith logged zero minutes in these two video games, a good smaller variety of folks would’ve believed you.
Well, that is the state of affairs DFS is in: he is watched his outdated crew dominate his new crew from the sideline, all with out Dončić and Reaves. You would possibly’ve even forgotten that he was in Houston, as that is how dangerous it has been.
Dorian Finney-Smith has been a full non-factor for Rockets
Los Angeles wished to create as a lot future monetary flexibility as attainable for the approaching offseason and 2027, so it let one in all Dončić’s teammates from his Dallas days go.
When stories concerning the construction of Finney-Smith’s contract with the Rockets first surfaced, the Lakers caught much more criticism for not re-signing him, as solely the primary two years of his four-year, $53 million cope with Houston are assured. Surely, LA may’ve structured his contract equally, proper?
Look, Rob Pelinka and the entrance workplace had no concept that DFS would have the form of season he is having with the Rockets. You can say that, on the time, it will’ve made sense to retain him, whereas additionally acknowledging that it is a great point they did not.
Maybe Finney-Smith would’ve benefitted from staying in purple and gold, however he is had such a drop-off that it is arduous to argue it will’ve made that a lot of a distinction, particularly with the ankle surgical procedure he had within the offseason. The Lakers would not have been in a position to escape the lingering results of that.
He did not make his regular-season debut till Christmas, averaging solely 3.3 factors on 33.3% capturing from the sphere and 27% from three in 16.8 minutes per contest. Finney-Smith has been removed from the 3-and-D possibility that Houston wanted to spherical out what it thought was a championship-caliber roster.
As gratifying as it is to see Los Angeles head to Houston for Games 3 and 4 with the upperhand, followers should not take any satisfaction in Finney-Smith’s struggles. That does not imply which you can’t be grateful that he determined to go to Texas, although. Hopefully, for his sake, his well being will not get in the best way of him turning issues round (at the very least a little bit) subsequent season.
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