Despite going undrafted during the 2016 NBA Draft, Dorian Finney-Smith has achieved a productive career. He signed with the Dallas Mavericks as an undrafted free agent and has remained with the organization.
Finney-Smith has increased his scoring average in each season of his career and has emerged as a pivotal 3-and-D wing alongside Luka Doncic. Last season, he averaged 11.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range.
Early in his career, Finney-Smith had no shortage of work to do on his shooting mechanics. He shot below 30.0 percent from beyond the arc in his first two seasons and first crossed the 35 percent threshold in 2018-19. He has shot 39.5 percent from the perimeter in each of his previous two seasons.
After solidifying himself as an integral wing for the Mavericks, he received a four-year, $52 million contract extension. His on-ball defense was pivotal in the Mavericks’ run to the Western Conference Finals along with his overall
Bleacher Report recently did a re-draft of the 2016 NBA Draft. Finney-Smith ended up going no. 12 overall, which was originally the selection used by the Utah Jazz to draft Taurean Prince.
“Dorian Finney-Smith had quietly developed into one of the game’s best three-and-D wings prior to the Dallas Mavericks’ run to the Western Conference Finals this past season, but his playoff performance really put him on the map.”
Ahead of Finney-Smith in the re-draft includes some players who earned at least one NBA All-Star appearance, including Brandon Ingram, Jaylen Brown, Dejounte Murray, Ben Simmons, Pascal Siakam, Domantas Sabonis, and Fred VanVleet.
While these names have yet to earn an NBA All-Star nod in their careers, the other players among the 11 names to go ahead of Finney-Smith in the re-draft include Jamal Murray, Jakob Poeltl, and Malcolm Brogdon.
For the Mavericks to achieve such a strong value by adding a talent in underrated free agency who today would likely be a lottery pick in a re-draft is impressive.
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