Alright, so I’ve been diving deep into Dorian Finney-Smith’s defense lately, and man, it’s been a journey. I wanted to really understand what makes him such a valuable defender, so I figured I’d share my process and what I found.
Digging into the Tape
First things first, I started by just watching a ton of games. Not just highlights, but full games. I focused on games where he was matched up against some top-tier offensive players – you know, the LeBrons, the Kawhis, those kinds of guys. I wanted to see how he handled those tough assignments.
- I initially used a notebook to tracked how many times he got beat off the dribble.
- Then I started noting the types of shots he forced – were they contested jumpers, awkward floaters, or did he give up open looks?
- I was also paying attention to his positioning – was he staying in front, using his length, and fighting through screens?
Getting My Hands Dirty with Stats
After a while, just watching wasn’t enough. I needed some numbers to back up what I was seeing. So, I hit up some of those stat sites. I looked at things like:
- Defensive field goal percentage – how well do opponents shoot when he’s the primary defender?
- Deflections and steals – does he get his hands on the ball a lot?
- Matchup data – how does he perform against specific players?
Putting it All Together
It took time, and lots of rewinding and pausing, but I slowly started to see some patterns. The numbers were backing a lot of what I found too:
- Finney-Smith is awesome. He’s staying in front of guys, using his long arms to bother shots, and making life generally difficult for whoever he’s guarding.
- The stats show opponents shoot a lower percentage when he’s on them.
- He’s a good player. He is super active, getting deflections and helping out his teammates.
It’s been a pretty cool process, and I feel like I’ve got a much better understanding of Finney-Smith’s defensive impact now. I plan to keep tracking him and see how he continues to develop. I’m no expert, but I really feel this guy’s defensive talent.
