Dorian Finney-Smith leads the NBA in this stat
Lakers forward Dorian Finney-Smith has proven to be a massive factor on the defensive end since joining the team via trade back in late December. There is no better stat that shows his impact and ability than his Defensive Positional Versatility numbers.
Dorian Finney-Smith is the #1 rotation player in the NBA this season in Defensive Positional Versatility, per our @The_BBall_Index Leaderboards tool.
No player has a more balanced workload defending PG, SG, SF, PF, C.
A true 1-5 defender with how he’s used. pic.twitter.com/iKonC6liJN
— Cranjis McBasketball (@Tim_NBA) April 7, 2025
Defensive Positional Versatility is a stat managed by Basketball Index that tracks and measures how much and how well defenders guard each position on the floor. Finney-Smith leads the league in this statistic.
Finney-Smith grades out as a B- or better against point guards, power forwards, and centers. His time guarding each position is split almost perfectly evenly, as he guards each position around 20% of the time he is on the floor.
With the Lakers oftentimes playing smaller lineups due to their lack of depth at the center position, Finney-Smith’s ability to guard 1-5 has proven key in keeping the Lakers’ defense afloat.
This, combined with his 40% three-point shooting on nearly five attempts per game, has made him the perfect fit alongside the Lakers’ big 3 of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves.
