The slow, winding, steady rise of Dorian Finney-Smith with the Mavericks has been one of the most interesting quiet storylines of the last five years in Dallas. After solidifying a starting role in the 2019-20 season, Finney-Smith entered his fifth season looking to build on the regular season success of the previous year, having set a career-high from the three point line.
Like many Mavericks, the start to the season was bumpy. Entering Covid-19 protocol in early January was the major snag, but Covid aside Finney-Smith couldn’t find his outside shot early. Connecting on just 33-percent of his three point attempts in the 11 games he appeared in through the end of January, it appeared the outside rhythm he found in 2019 had evaporated.