DALLAS – If Dallas Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith ever took the NBA for granted, he likely won’t do that again.
Last year tendinitis in his left quadriceps limited Finney-Smith to just 21 games. And those 61 games where Finney-Smith had to sit and stew and patiently wait for his injury to heal were some of the worst days of his life.
Thus, now that Finney-Smith is 100 percent healthy, he can look back and appreciate the magnitude of what his injury entailed and how it robbed him of the game that he loves.
“Not being able to play basketball for (61) games last year, you appreciate all the little things like practice,” Finney-Smith said following Friday’s practice eat the Lympo practice facilities. “I think this is most fun in practice I’ve had in my 20 years of basketball — just because I couldn’t play last year.
“I just appreciate it a lot more.”
The mundane routine of coming to the practice facilities or American Airlines Center for treatment last season didn’t sit too well with Finney-Smith. But he knew he had to endure that drudgery work in order to get better.
“It was tough coming in here doing the same rehab things,” Finney-Smith said. “You feel like it’s not getting any better, but you just got to stick to it.
“We’ve got a great training staff. They told me I was going to come back, and I came back healthy last year.”
Coach Rick Carlisle can appreciate the extra love for the NBA game Finney-Smith now has. Injuries have their way to making players re-access things.
“I understand why he’s saying that,” Carlisle said. “When you miss a significant amount of time during the season because of injury — and you’re playing hurt — the game is not fun. I’ve been through that.
“But he worked extremely hard to get healthy and he’s playing with a lot of spirit and a lot of joy out there, and it’s great to see.”
Undrafted in 2016 out of Florida, Finney-Smith returned to the court last Mar. 10 and played in 13 of the Mavs’ last 17 games. That includes averaging 13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while playing an average of 34.8 minutes in the final four games of the season.
“I played a couple of games in summer league (in Las Vegas in July) and felt real good,” Finney-Smith said. “I stayed on my rehab and getting my legs strong.
“Right now I just feel like I’m jumping higher than I’ve ever been before and I’m moving better.”
Finney-Smith also will be moving into the Mavs’ starting lineup. Well, temporarily.
Harrison Barnes will miss Saturday’s preseason opener at American Airlines Center against the Beijing Ducks due to a strained right hamstring. Enter Finney-Smith.
“Obviously I’m just happy to be on the court,” Finney-Smith said. “I don’t want Harrison to be hurt or anything, but guy’s got to step up, and that’s what guys like me are here for — to come in and play hard and contribute to winning.
“I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. I probably won’t get as many shots as Harrison, but hopefully the offense is still rolling and we can get good shots every possession.”
The perimeter jumper is part of Finney-Smith’s game that has lagged far behind what he’s able to accomplish on the defensive end of the floor. He’s even challenged himself by changing his shot in order to see some marked improvements in that area of his game.
“I feel like I’ve put in the work,” Finney-Smith said. “Every time I’m open now everybody on the team is yelling, ‘Shoot it.’
“Obviously I’ve built trust with the team. If everybody’s telling me to shoot it, then I have no choice any way.”
Indeed, the Mavs are counting on Finney-Smith’s offensive game to be as stout as his defensive game.
“He’s 100 percent from everything I’ve seen, and he just continues to get more and more confidence at both ends of the floor,” Carlisle said. “He’s been extremely solid.
“His shooting continues to improve, he’s once again one of our best perimeter defenders, and he’s a bit of an underrated playmaker. He puts the ball on the floor, he can see things and pass, and he’s a great rebounder. And he’s not been limited at all.”
And Finney-Smith is more than ready to show off his offensive skills against the Ducks.
“I’ve been working hard getting ready for this season, getting my shot better, my confidence,” he said. “So I’m ready to play tomorrow.”
NOTES: The Mavs (0-0) will play their first preseason game on Saturday at home at 7:30 p.m. CT against the Beijing Ducks (0-0). The game will be televised on FSSW Plus. It also can be heard on ESPN 103.3 FM and on Univision 1270 AM (Spanish. . .Former Mavs players Martin Muursepp and Chris Anstey are in Dallas and popped into Friday’s practice session. They duo talked with coach Rick Carlisle and had an extensive conversation with forward Dirk Nowitzki. Muursepp is from Estonia and played for the Mavs from 1996-’98, and Anstey is from Australia and played for the Mavs from 1997-’99. “The NBA is the ultimate goal for everybody,” Muursepp said. “The way the profession is, the facilities, the food, the traveling, the planes, the cars. It’s all at the highest level, so that’s what I miss for sure.” Anstey, who former Mavs coach Don Nelson described as “the best running big man in the NBA,” has this to say about his 17-year old daughter (Izzy). “I know that one of the schools that’s recruiting my daughter (to play basketball) is TCU. And I think she’ll probably get a visit later on in the year.”. .Dorian Finney-Smith is more than ready to head out on the two-game road trip to China, where the Mavs will play the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 5 and Oct. 8. “A couple of guys on the team have been to China, so I just tried to ask them a bunch of questions,” Finney-Smith said. “I’m just ready to see how it goes. I want to see what it’s got to offer. I’m going to try a bunch of different stuff and I’m going to go from there.” How about the cuisine? “I’ve had some duck wings before, so I can eat a little duck,” Finney-Smith said. “But that’s about it. I heard anything goes over there, but I’m going to stick to what I know.” Asked what does duck taste like, Finney-Smith said: “It tastes like chicken. At Whiskey Cake, I had some duck wings from there before.”. .Coach Rick Carlisle said he didn’t know for sure how many minutes his starters will play against Beijing. “But the starters will get a good run, the second unit will get a good run,” Carlisle said, “and hopefully we’ll be able to look at some of the other guys.”. .Finney-Smith had to tip his cap to a nifty two-handed pass executed in practice by rookie guard/forward Luka Doncic. “I told him it was real cute,” Finney-Smith said. “He started laughing. He’s got some game. The Mavs fans are going to appreciate his passing. He can do it all. He’s a big guard, he can play the point guard, obviously. He’s got eyes in the back of his head. It’s going to be a learning experience. Guys are obviously faster in the NBA. It’s the best talent in the world. He’s been a pro since he was 16, so I know the pressure is not going to be anything to him. But I just want to see him play, too. I’m just as excited as ya’ll.”
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