The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a significant step forward since the calendar flipped from 2024 to 2025. It’s an objective truth that’s resulted from improved play on both ends of the floor, with the team ranking among the league’s elite in both offensive and defensive rating.

For as much justified attention as the trade for Luka Doncic has received, it was actually the move for Dorian Finney-Smith that set these wheels in motion.

The Lakers acquired Finney-Smith on Dec. 29, 2024 in a deal that began a shift in mentality and priorities throughout the organization. The core of the deal saw Los Angeles part ways with polarizing point guard D’Angelo Russell and bring in Finney-Smith, who was less productive, but an outright better fit.

Questions circulated about how the Lakers planned to fill the void at point guard, but the move for Finney-Smith resulted in drastic improvements in other areas.

Finney-Smith has provided the 3-and-D presence at forward that Los Angeles desperately needed. His mere presence on the court seems to energize his teammates and produce a significantly greater level of defensive consistency at virtually every position.

Nothing beats trading for a superstar, but Finney-Smith is looking like one of the most savvy acquisitions of the 2024-25 season.

Dorian Finney-Smith has Lakers playing championship-level ball

It’s easy to lose focus on the bigger picture by honing in on Finney-Smith’s individual production. He hasn’t produced poorly, but nothing he’s done jumps off the page at 7.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.6 three-point field goals made in 25.8 minutes per game as a Laker.

Finney-Smith has epitomized reliability since joining the team, however, appearing in 19 out of 23 games and shooting efficiently at a clip of .481/.400/.857.

More importantly, Finney-Smith has become a game-breaking inclusion in Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s rotation. Not only is Los Angeles playing better with him on the court, but it’s been legitimately dominant any time his number has been called.

Los Angeles is outscoring opponents by a team-high 15.2 points per 100 possessions with Finney-Smith on the court—and is being outcored by 2.3 when he isn’t.

That 17.5-point swing is a product of his influence on improved play on both ends of the court. For instance, the Lakers are scoring 119.2 points per 100 possessions when Finney-Smith is on the floor and 111.3 when he’s on the bench.

Los Angeles is also allowing just 104.0 points per 100 possessions with Finney-Smith on the court and 113.6 without him.

It may seem like a dramatic oversimplification, but the Lakers simply play better with Finney-Smith than without him. He’s unselfish and skilled on offense, and instinctually superb on defense. He knows exactly where to be at any given moment, and he carries his out his assignments without the need for an extraordinary number of touches.

The result: Since Jan. 1, the Lakers rank No. 5 in the NBA in net rating and defensive rating, and No. 9 in offensive rating. Finney-Smith has the purple and gold playing like contenders.

Only time will tell if Doncic can lead a smooth transition from Anthony Davis as the franchise player.