Through It All, Luka Knows Doe Doe Will Be There

In Luka Dončić’s much-anticipated Lakers debut, everything is new—except for the one familiar face, Dorian Finney-Smith

Photo by Harry How / Getty Images

After what has probably been the longest week of his life, Luka Dončić could make his much-anticipated debut in a Lakers uniform tonight in front of the home crowd at Crypto.com Arena against the Utah Jazz.

Dončić was visibly shaken by the trade, openly admitting how hard it was to be unexpectedly moved from Dallas to Los Angeles overnight. But now, just days later, he seems to have not only accepted his new reality but is starting to enjoy it—smiling next to his childhood basketball idol, LeBron James, on the bench in recent Lakers games.

For Dončić, the sudden change must feel almost like stepping into the NBA all over again. He’s living in a hotel with his family, adjusting to a new team, new teammates, a certain 40-year-old, larger-than-life teammate, a new coach, a celebrity-filled arena, new media, and new fans. But amid all that and the bright spotlight, one familiar face will make it feel at least a bit like the old times. One face Dončić trusts unconditionally, a face he always knows where to find on the court.

That face is Dorian Finney-Smith.

Luka’s most familiar teammate, back by his side…

Over his seven seasons in the NBA, Dončić has played alongside a long list of teammates. In the last two years alone, nearly everyone from his early days and the team that made the 2022 Western Conference Finals has moved on. Only the ever-present Dwight Powell remained in Dallas, while Maxi Kleber, one of the last familiar faces, was traded alongside Dončić to Los Angeles.

source: pbpstats

Among all, Finney-Smith is the teammate Dončić has spent the most minutes on the floor with, and one of, if not the one, he had the strongest bond with. Dončić always referred to Finney-Smith as his guy, a close friend, someone he felt like he started playing basketball with and grew up alongside in Dallas.

source: SportsCenter instagram post

…and waiting in the usual spot

After Dončić joined the Lakers, much of the conversation centered around getting him a rim-rolling center to maximize his game. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka even made a move to acquire one, trading for Mark Williams at the deadline (I even did an extensive deep dive on the potential Dončić-Williams pick-and-roll pairing), only for the deal to be rescinded when Williams failed his physical.

The Lakers will have to navigate this season with Jaxson Hayes as the only somewhat proven lob target for Dončić. But they’ll have the other, almost as important element of his pick-and-roll mastery and manipulation—one that’s talked about far less—covered. That is the corner shooter.

Finney-Smith has been one of the NBA’s highest-volume corner three shooters, ranking sixth in attempts and eighth in makes over the last five seasons. This season, nearly a third of his shots have come from the corner. And with Dončić now in a Lakers uniform, running the show, you can expect that number to go up. Doe Doe has been Dončić’s most consistent and most trusted target in the corner throughout his career.

source: Second Spectrum

Here is a compilation of some of the best Luka-to-Dorian corner three assists over the years. Luka's passing wizardry and their connection on the court are off the charts, built on trusting your teammate to be in the right spot at the right time and knock down the big shot. Which Finney-Smith proved he could do on plenty of occasions in a Mavericks uniform.

The chemistry and trust on the defensive end