The Brooklyn Nets needed someone to step up on Monday night, and Dorian Finney-Smith answered the call in style.
With a roster hit by injuries and key players missing, the team leaned on him more than usual—and he didn’t disappoint.
His clutch performance helped the Nets pull off a nail-biting 106-104 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Barclays Center, and they proved once again he’s a guy you can count on when it matters most.
However, it wasn’t exactly a smooth setup for the Nets.
Nic Claxton made his first start of the season after recovering from a preseason hamstring injury, but they were still missing Noah Clowney (sore hip), Ben Simmons (back management), and Day’Ron Sharpe.
With the lineup stretched thin, Finney-Smith was ready to play as many minutes as it took.
And boy, did he deliver.
Finney-Smith finished with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
And when it mattered most, he came alive.
Eight of those points came in the fourth quarter, including a dagger three-pointer that broke a 101-101 tie with less than a minute on the clock.
The shot was ice-cold, and it gave the Nets the lead and the momentum they needed to seal the game.
His shooting was on point, too—he hit five of his eight three-point attempts.
So, it’s no secret that performance etched his name in Nets history.
He became only the second player on the team to make five threes and grab five offensive boards in a single game.
And the last guy to do it was Kyrie Irving back in 2022.
Pretty good company, right?
And it wasn’t like Finney-Smith had been lighting it up before this game.
But if he was feeling any pressure, he didn’t let it show.
“Just my team, man,” he said after the game.
“They still trust in me even though I’ve been struggling the last couple games. They’ve been telling me to shoot the ball every time I’m open. It feels good when the guys around you have your back even when you’re not making shots.”
That’s the kind of thing that tells you everything you need to know about the culture of this team.
They’re not pointing fingers or getting caught up in slumps—they’re simply backing each other up.
Claxton, for one, was full of praise for his teammate.
“He’s been a dawg, he’s reliable, he’s healthy,” Claxton said.
“He guards 1 through 5 for us night in and night out. And we just need guys like that, especially now with us having injuries.”
And it’s not just teammates noticing the work Finney-Smith is putting in.
Head coach Jordi Fernandez couldn’t hide how proud he was.
“Doe kept shooting, and they all went in,” Fernandez said.
“I’ve put him in tough spots. He’s been guarding centers, he’s been guarding point guards… I’m doing all this to him, and he’s fighting. The fact that I can see him fight defensively, but also see the shot go in, nobody deserves it more than him.”
Now, don’t let all this Finney-Smith talk distract you from the bigger picture.
This Nets team?
They’re scrappy.
Preseason chatter wasn’t exactly kind—they were projected to be tanking or, at best, middle of the pack.
But they’re out here proving people wrong.
Wins over teams like the Grizzlies and Bulls show they have a fight in them.
Nonetheless, injuries are still an issue.
Clowney, who missed Monday’s game after a morning MRI showed a sore right hip, is optimistic about returning for Friday’s game against the Celtics.
“It’s sore. But I should be fine,” he said.
The three-day gap between games should give him the time to recover.
Meanwhile, Ben Simmons continues to manage his back, so he takes it day by day, at the minute.
Looking ahead, the Nets have some breathing room before taking on a Celtics team that’s also banged up.
Boston will be without Jaylen Brown, who’s dealing with a left hip flexor injury, and Kristaps Porziņģis, who’s still recovering from tibialis tendon surgery.
It’s shaping up to be another test for the Nets, but if Monday was any indication, they’ll be ready.
For Finney-Smith, though, this game was about making a statement.
He’s adjusting to a new role, playing more as a small-ball center, which hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park.
His shooting percentages haven’t been stellar—41.7% from the field and 28.9% from deep before Monday—but he’s not letting that define him.
“We’re competitors,” he said.
“We don’t care about other people’s expectations. We know what we expect from us. We’re going to compete. And if you think it’s gonna be easy playing us, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
That’s the kind of attitude this team has.
Call them underdogs if you want, but I wouldn’t expect them to roll over.
They’re proving that they’ve got heart, hustle, and a little something to prove in every game.
And on nights like Monday, when a guy like Finney-Smith steps up, it’s hard not to believe they’ve got what it takes to surprise many people this season.