Dorian Finney-Smith is contractually tied to the Nets until his player option kicks in after next season, but the versatile forward was rumored to be on his way out of Brooklyn ahead of the NBA’s February trade deadline.
The Nets ultimately retained Finney-Smith, but his on-court production over his last 10 starts entering Tuesday’s matchup against the shorthanded Philadelphia 76ers had been shaky at best, as he averaged 6.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting an efficient 45.6% from the field, but just 29.4% from 3-point range.
Finney-Smith’s best performances over that stretch came in two road games against Minnesota and Memphis, where he averaged 12 points and nine rebounds on 52.6% shooting.
However, a player as talented as Finney-Smith was bound to have a breakout game at some point this season. And his signature moment finally came in Tuesday’s 112-107 win, a game where the Nets entered without Ben Simmons, Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe, and exited without Cam Johnson.
Interim head coach Kevin Ollie has been begging his players to step up in clutch time. The 6-7 forward responded with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the fourth quarter. He finished with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting with eight rebounds overall to help lead the Nets to victory.
“We got down by 14, got down by eight and he was just saying, ‘Coach, I got you,’ ‘Coach, come on. We good we good’ and he just never wavered and that’s what we need from our leaders, never waver, always have confidence in each other and I thought they just gave that to each other tonight and it was just it was beautiful to watch,” Ollie said.
Mikal Bridges, Dennis Smith Jr. and Dennis Schröder kept finding Finney-Smith for easy buckets around the rim. And Finney-Smith got himself going, too, with a few key offensive rebounds that kept important possessions alive for Brooklyn.
“He’s a dawg, man,” Lonnie Walker IV said. “He does a lot of things that probably don’t get noticed or get seen. You know, a lot of offensive rebounds, put-back layups… He does the dirty work.”
Said Finney- Smith: “Guys were finding me cutting and stuff like that. Coach been asking me to cut a lot more with the new sets that he’s been putting in.”
Finney-Smith, a 37.6% shooter from distance this season, also went 4-of-7 from deep in the win. It was the first time he had made at least four treys in a game since Jan. 27.
“It’s just something that’s going to come back,” Finney-Smith said of his marksmanship. “I feel like the average is going to be what it’s going to be. Just try not to focus on it. It is what it is. Just shoot the ball with confidence and let the results be the results.”
But offense aside, Finney-Smith got it done defensively. He did not record a steal against the 76ers, but had a defensive rating of 109.7, the highest among starters. The Nets were plus-9 with Finney-Smith on the court Tuesday night, but his teammates stepped up defensively, too.
Brooklyn outscored the Philadelphia, 32-24, in the fourth quarter and 28-15 over the final 8:45 of regulation.
“Just getting stops,” Finney-Smith said. “Dennis [Smith Jr.] did a good job of guarding, getting the breakaway steal, the 360. [Nic Claxton] was guarding as well. They went small, and we had to switch everything. So, I feel like everybody stepped up and took the challenge, and we got the win.”
