Dorian Finney-Smith has a nice big contract, a starting job on a good NBA team and a lot to be thankful for, which he always is, especially during the holiday weekend.

But in one small way, he’s a little jealous of Josh Green.

Finney-Smith knows defense and hard-nosed play will always be his calling cards, but he sees Green, the third-year Australian who has worked his way into the playing rotation, getting all those three-point shots from the corner and he remembers back when that was him.

“Everybody likes scoring, and we’re better when I’m aggressive,” he said. “They’re running me off the (three-point) line right now. I’ve gained their respect in the league.

“I don’t get those same shots that Josh (Green) is getting now. Those were the good old days. Now, Josh is knocking them down. They’re guarding me differently.”

That’s what happens when you take the next step on a career trajectory that has been consistently pointed upward for Finney-Smith.

There’s no denying Finney-Smith’s defensive abilities. On the recent road trip, he had to guard Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo, although he got a reprieve in Toronto when Pascal Siakam was out with an injury.

But that’s Finney-Smith’s life. Every single night.

“His job description is do everything,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He has to guard, he has to (make plays), he has to shoot and he has to guard again. He doesn’t have any nights off. When we ask Reggie (Bullock) and Doe to guard the top two players on the opposing team, not every other night, every night, (they) never complain. He understands his role and he does it at a high level.”

And as for that corner three?

“The hard work he’s put in, the way he shoots the ball, they’re running him off it, and that’s a compliment to him for the process he’s gone through to develop a three-point shot,” Kidd said. “Now the next step is to be able to playmake or to get to the rim.”

And that’s something Finney-Smith always is willing to do, work on whatever needs to be worked on.

Against the Warriors on Tuesday night, Finney-Smith and the Mavericks will face one of the biggest challenges of the year. They are seeing the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors for the first time this season.

The Warriors eliminated the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals last season.

Finney-Smith will be seeing a heavy dose of Andrew Wiggins and/or Draymond Green. Either way, it’s another night at the office for Finney-Smith.

“I wouldn’t want it no other way,” he said. “It’s a challenge. But I love challenges. So it’s going to be fun, real fun.”

Finney-Smith takes great pride in his defense. That’s his No. 1 priority. He considers it a failure when an opposing superstar has a monster night. He knows those guys are always going to have big nights. But if they don’t have all-galactic type of performances, then Finney-Smith has done his job.

And, of course, there is the offensive end, which is evolving for the 6-7 wingman because of the way defenses have to pay attention to him in the corners now.

The corner three-pointer is tougher to get on a consistent basis.

But then again, one man’s loss is another’s gain. Finney-Smith may only be shooting 33.7 percent from three-point range this season, but Green is hitting 48.7 percent.

Twitter: @ESefko

Share and comment

More Mavs News