Lakers Reveal When Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton Could Make Debuts

Ricardo Sandoval | Dec 30, 2024

Dec 1, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick calls a play on the court against the Utah Jazz during the first half at the Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images / Christopher Creveling-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers made an impactful trade on Sunday, acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton from the Brooklyn Nets.

This trade should make the Lakers a better team, and we'll see this newly revamped team as soon as Tuesday when the Lakers host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed that Finney-Smith and Milton will be in the lineup on Tuesday.

JJ Redick says the hope for the Lakers is to have Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton in the lineup Tuesday vs. CLE. Redick says he will keep the same starting lineup, however.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 30, 2024

In addition, Redick will stick with his starting five of Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, Max Christie, and Austin Reaves for the time being.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha said that Redick spoke to Finney-Smith and told him he'd be coming off the bench. Redick also added that he will continue to evaluate the starting group.

This version of the starting group has been great for the Lakers, as they've collected a 3-1 record. The Lakers are far from being done bolstering this roster, but this is a tremendous start for Los Angeles, which is looking to make yet another deep playoff run while they have the superstar duo of Davis and James.

The Lakers vastly improved their defense, especially on the perimeter with Finney-Smtih. He is a tough and physical defender who can guard all possessions if needed. Los Angeles got better in this trade; the only thing now is to prove that on the court.

However, it won't be easy in Finney-Smith's and Milton's first game as Lakers, as they will face the team with the best record in the league, the Cavaliers. Cleveland has an elite record of 27-4. They started the season 15-0 and are currently on a six-game winning streak.

The Cavaliers will come into this game healthy, but it will be their second game of a back-to-back in Los Angeles and Cleveland's second-to-last game of a four-game road trip.

The Lakers will look to earn their 19th win of the season and their 11th win at home. Los Angeles is currently five games above .500 and is the fifth seed in the Western Conference. However, the Lakers are only three games above the 11th seed in the West.

A string of losses could be the difference in the Western Conference, but so can a string of wins. The Lakers are 6-4 in their last 10 games and are only three games back from the second spot in the West.

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