Lakers New Addition Asks ‘Hard’ Favor From LeBron James

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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers grants his new teammate Dorian Finney-Smith's request.

Dorian Finney-Smith got the hard part out of the way during his first practice with the Los Angeles Lakers, his new team.

No, it was not to get acclimatized with JJ Redick’s system. The basketball part stands to be an easy task for the high-IQ 3-and-D wing.

The hard part?

It was asking a favor from his new teammate, LeBron James, one of his toughest defensive assignments in the first nine years of his NBA career before landing on the same team with him on a blockbuster Sunday, December 29, trade.

“Dorian Finney-Smith says he’s not too friendly on the court, so today, taking to LeBron James, he did the thing he always wanted to do and hadn’t — asked him for some shoes. “He said he got me. …I got the hard part out of the way,” Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times wrote in a post on X following Finney-Smith’s first practice with the Lakers.

Finney-Smith, a 6-foot-7 tough defender who has tremendously improved as an outside shooter,  is one of the coveted 3-and-D wing in the market.

James is so happy to grant his new teammate’s request. And the Lakers are hyped to get him without giving up any of their first-round picks.

The 31-year-old Finney-Smith arrived in Los Angeles after the Lakers gave up D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three second-round picks. The Lakers also acquired reserve guard Shake Milton in the deal with the Brooklyn Nets.

Finney-Smith would start his Lakers tenure as James’ backup.

Redick told reporters that the plan is for Finney-Smith and Milton to play against the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, December 31, the team’s final game of the year. But both newcomers will come off the bench, Redick quickly added.

Dorian Finney-Smith Brings Versatility to Lakers

In exchange for the LeBron shoes, Finney-Smith is happy to provide his expertise to help James and the Lakers achieve playoff success.

“Just being versatile guy,” Finney-Smith told reporters. “When they do want me to play small, they got that option. I can pick and pop, keep spread the floor so guys could get in the lane, and pull the bigs out of the paint. That’s what [my past teams] did — put me sitting on the corner, and if [the defenders] help, I’d be ready to shoot. So we just got a bunch of different options.”

ESPN’s Shams Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic both noted Finney-Smith is the only player in the NBA this season to defend guards, forwards and centers each for at least 15 half-court matchups per game, according to Second Spectrum data.

Buha also pointed out that Finney-Smith is now the Lakers’ best volume 3-point shooter.

“Finney-Smith is shooting 43.3 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s, 48.1 percent on open 3s and 42.5 percent on wide-open 3s. He’s shooting 36.9 percent on corner 3s (the type the Lakers often generate for their wings) and 45.5 percent from above the break,” Buha wrote.

‘Everybody Wants to Win Here’

After playing for the lottery-bound Nets, Finney-Smith is just excited to play again for a playoff contender.

“I’m excited (to play) meaningful basketball … everybody wants to win here. We’re trying to do major things here,” Finney-Smith told reporters, per Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell.

Finney-Smith had played in 35 playoff games, including the Dallas Mavericks‘ Western Conference Finals run in 2022, when he averaged 11.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists while hitting 42.6% of his 3-point attempts.

The Lakers currently sit in fifth place with an 18-13 record, right behind Finney-Smith’s former team, the Mavericks (20-12) in the strong Western Conference.