Dallas Mavericks: Dorian Finney-Smith to play the four and five this season

Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith will play primarily at the four this year and could see minutes at center. Read more about it here.

The Dallas Mavericks rewarded Dorian Finney-Smith with a new contract this offseason. He signed a three-year $12 million deal to remain in Dallas. It was a team-friendly pact for a player that averaged 24.5 minutes per game last season.

Finney-Smith continues to improve every year. The 26-year-old is entering his fourth NBA season. He went undrafted in 2016 but has worked his way into a steady rotation player.

Playing the four and five

Coach Carlisle envisions a bit of a different role for Dorian Finney-Smith on this Dallas Mavericks team. Fans can listen to his interview from Oct. 1 below.

Finney-Smith playing primarily as a four would not be a first. He played 51 percent of his minutes at power forward during the 2017-2018 season according to Basketball-Reference. The Mavs have depth in the backcourt. Some of those players will earn minutes at the three pushing Dorian down to the four.

The development is him potentially playing the five. He has not logged a minute there since his rookie season. Even then, Finney-Smith played one percent of his minutes at center.

It would be effective for the Mavs, though. Playing Finney-Smith with Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Seth Curry, Justin Jackson could give the team an interesting small ball unit with shooting and playmaking that could switch everything on defense. Rebounding may be a challenge, but both Luka and Finney-Smith are underrated in that area.

The Mavericks are light in the frontcourt. Dwight Powell and Kristaps Porzingis will start. Maxi Kleber will be the first big off the bench. The only other true big man on the roster is Boban Marjanovic. That creates an opportunity for Finney-Smith to grab minutes in the frontcourt. Expect Coach Carlisle to experiment plenty during the preseason and early on in the regular year.

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