Nets’ Dorian Finney-Smith puts shooting struggles behind him

BOSTON — Of the four starters the Nets acquired in exchange for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Dorian Finney-Smith was the one who had been struggling.

He was a veteran 3-and-D guy for whom the “3” part had gone missing, which caused him to start pressing.

So perhaps it’s no coincidence that his breakout performance coincided with the Nets’ breakthrough win, a 115-105 come-from-behind stunner over the Celtics on Friday night.

“I just took my focus off my shot-making and just worried about winning. And when you do that, it kind of takes the pressure off of making shots,” said Finney-Smith, who finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks and tied a game-high with a plus-14 Friday. “And I appreciate my teammates. They kept passing me the ball and kept telling me to shoot it even though I ain’t been making shots.”

In Dallas, the wing averaged 9.1 points on .416/.355/.750 shooting splits.


Dorian Finney-Smith, who scored 17 points, drives on Al Horford during the Nets' 115-105 win over the Celtics.
Dorian Finney-Smith, who scored 17 points, drives on Al Horford during the Nets’ 115-105 win over the Celtics.
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But since arriving with Spencer Dinwiddie in the Kyrie Irving deal, Finney-Smith came into TD Garden mustering just 6.1 points per game on .345/.206/.667 shooting, all career-lows.

That’s what made his performance Friday so auspicious.

Finney-Smith even shot 5-for-11 from 3-point range, which is encouraging for the Nets.

“My boy Do,” Mikal Bridges said. “Man, he was over getting in his head, getting upset about not making shots. I just told him it’s going to come. I played against him in Dallas and in the playoffs hit eight 3s. Like, I know how [he is] shooting the ball, and I’m just like, ‘Just keep shooting. You’re gonna find it.’

“He just stayed confident and trusted his work. And in the big moment was making shots and that’s what we’re going to need. And that’s just making shots, that’s not even what he really … not even talking about defensively and everything else. He’s a dog, man. I’ve always told him when he was in Dallas that he’s a big glue to this team and they need you. So I’ve been telling them from the jump.”

Finney-Smith has started every game since he was acquired from Dallas, and Nets coach Jacque Vaughn has praised the veteran as virtually undroppable.


Dorian Finney-Smith and the Celtics' Jayson Tatum battle for a loose ball during the Nets' win.
Dorian Finney-Smith and the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum battle for a loose ball during the Nets’ win.
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“All these guys want to play well and help our team; and we lost four in a row and they have a burden that they carry, a responsibility to their teammates as we talked about. I had a conversation with [Finney-Smith],” Vaughn said. “Just letting him know that he is appreciated more than for making shots and tonight was a perfect example. That block that he had really ignited us and gave us a grimy, gritty feel on the road because of a play like that from Do.”

Arguably just as indicative of the team’s trust in Finney-Smith is that sources have told The Post that as soon as he was acquired from Dallas — before he had even suited up — the Nets were offered two first-round draft picks for him.

Clearly, general manager Sean Marks rejected the offer.

“I’ve said this before, and I said it when he played for the Mavericks, he just does a really good job of holding down the paint. Protecting the rim, rebounding, even when you play small,” Cam Johnson said. “He does a really good job of negating the issues that come with playing small. So for him to have that kind of game tonight, hit shots, be a force in the paint, rebound the ball, that’s huge for us going forward.”

Finney-Smith is a career 35.7 percent shooter from 3-point range, and hit 39.4 percent in 2020-21 and 39.5 in 2021-22.

Dinwiddie, who arrived with him from Dallas, expects him to get back to that.

“He just shot the ball with confidence,” Dinwiddie said. “I mean he’s been doing the shot 40 percent from 3 for several seasons. He needs to keep doing it. Shoot the ball with confidence. With them, they tend to like to put Robert Williams on the four or one of the shooters instead of him guarding the five. That way they can still play their switching defense with the traditional pick and roll. And then he comes and cleans up the mess as guys drive.”

source: nypost.com