The Los Angeles Lakers addressed their defensive woes when they traded D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith. The team has performed better as a result of the transfer in their attempt to compete for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Finney-Smith is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. Standing at 6-foot-7 and with a wingspan of 6-foot-11, the forward can greatly match up against any offensive player. On his arrival in Los Angeles, he saw a little bit of himself with the team’s young swingman, Max Christie.
According to Finney-Smith, the hunger Christie presents makes him bring more energy on the floor as he gets adjusted to JJ Redick’s system.
“Since I’ve been here, Max has been terrific on the defensive end bringing a lot of energy,” Finney-Smith said. “So when I come in, I just try to match his energy. I told him I’ve been in his shoes before, especially sometimes you play defense all day and you might not get a shot. A lot of people don’t keep that intensity when they’re not getting the ball and I just try to preach it to him that I’ve been there before and that’s what made me valuable in this league.”
The third-year player out of Michigan State may be shorter than Finney-Smith as he’s listed as 6-foot-5. However, he boasts an impressive 6-foot-8 wingspan, helping him defend at an elite level.
For the 2024-25 NBA season, he’s averaging 8.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Since playing 23.3 minutes this season, he has taken a more active role in the team’s accomplishments. Additionally, Christie has started 14 games this season—double the number he did the previous season.
Defensive miscommunication was to blame for the Lakers’ loss against the Mavericks per Christie
On Tuesday, the Lakers suffered a 118-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. After the game, Christie talked about how the team’s offense worked. However, they couldn’t keep up with the Mavs defensively.
“They were heavy isoing so we needed to be in our shifts and in our gaps. They did a good job of moving guys around, kind of moving shifts out the way, and there was some miscommunication on our part to let up a 3 or 2 once they saw the first one or two go in and they’re feeling really good,” Christie said. “Then they’re gonna shoot the next two or three contested ones and they made shots tonight. They shot damn near 50% from 3, so that’s tough to beat.”
Against Dallas, the 21-year-old finished with 12 points, three assists, a steal and a block on 55.6% from the field. Christie and the Lakers will resume action on Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets. However, the league is monitoring if it needs to be postponed because of the wildfires.
