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The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets recently, and those two players have been cleared to make their debut for Los Angeles against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick previously said the hope was that Finney-Smith and Milton would make their debuts, but they would not be in the starting lineup. Now, we know that those two will make their Lakers debuts. Redick needs to figure out the rotation now with D'Angelo Russell and Maxwell Lewis heading out and two key acquisitions coming in.
The Lakers are going to be tested right away, as they will host the 28-4 Cleveland Caveliers, who hold the best record in the NBA. However, the Cavaliers will be playing their second game in a back-to-back after defeating the Golden State Warriors on Monday. The Lakers are coming off of a 132-122 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday and sit at 18-13, and now we will see what they look like with their new players in the fold.
The main acquisition in this trade was Finney-Smith, who provides the Lakers with a wing player who brings shooting as well. He is one of the players who fit the “three-and-d” archetype that basically every team in the NBA is looking to add nowadays. Replacing Russell in the rotation, who was inconsistent, with Finney-Smith, should elevate the Lakers.
It will be interesting to see how the Lakers fare against the Cavaliers, as it will be a tough test against what is the best team in the NBA so far this season. It will also be intriguing to see when Finney-Smith and Milton enter the game, how many minutes they get, and if they are trusted in the closing lineup if the score is close.
