Mavericks: Dorian Finney-Smith remains a key piece

Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith suffered a hip injury on March 4. If he misses time, that could be an issue for the Mavs.

The Dallas Mavericks hosted the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night. It was a nationally televised showcase between Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson. The Mavs picked up a 127-123 overtime win behind a 30-point triple-double from Doncic. It was not all good news for Dallas, though.

Dorian Finney-Smith suffered a hip injury in the first quarter. He never returned the game. Finney-Smith had two points and no other stats in his nine minutes of action.

Tim MacMahon provided an update on his injury on Thursday afternoon.

The Mavericks listed him as questionable of the official injury report, and Brad Townsend tweeted Finney-Smith will be a game-time decision for Friday’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

What Dallas misses

If the 26-year-old is forced to miss time, that will be a massive loss for the Mavs. The starter is playing the best basketball of his career. Over the last 15 games, he is averaging 10.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks per. That is on 48.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent on his 3-pointers.

Finney-Smith’s contributions are so much more than the stats, though. He is Dallas’ best perimeter defender. DFS is capable of guarding any player on the floor. He has also made massive improvements on the offensive end. Finney-Smith’s 3-point shooting increased from 31.1 percent to 37.1 percent this season. He is driving the ball and scoring when teams try to run him off the three too.

The Mavericks are going to miss those contributions. It likely means more minutes for Courtney Lee and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Lee cannot provide the same level of defense, and MKG lacks the shooting. Neither is the perfect replacement, but it will be next man up for Dallas.

Hopefully, Finney-Smith is fully healthy and ready to go on Friday. Stay tuned for updates as they become available.