Los Angeles Lakers fans have been clamoring for Dorian Finney-Smith to receive more playing time for a while now. Ever since his December 29 trade, the Lakers forward has not been a consistent starter. Although that may change soon if JJ Reddick is to be believed. Moreover, Dorian himself let fans in on how the Lakers’ medical staff has been looking out for him all this while.

So far, in the 2024/25 NBA season, DFS has averaged 7.1 points and 2.8 rebounds a game for Los Angeles. However, Finney-Smith is playing much less than the 29 minutes a game he used to play at the Nets. He is only playing an average of 23.3 minutes a game at LA in comparison.

But Doe-Doe took the time to explain why this has been the case since his move. Acknowledging the Lakers medical staff’s efforts, he said, “They helping me save myself from making it worse…I be begging to play more minutes but you know, it is what it is.” DFS compared this to his time at the Nets where he’d get a shot for the pain before going out to play with a preexisting injury.

Athletes playing through injuries are nothing new. After all, Kobe Bryant won the NBA title in 2010 with an index finger that was fractured in two different places. As he recovers from an ankle injury, DFS is his own worst enemy if he doesn’t abide by the medical staff’s advice.

That said, Dorian’s injury seems to be getting better. And head coach JJ Reddick did say that his playing time may see an uptick as a result. Let’s find out what he said.

JJ Reddick says Dorian Finney-Smith’s minutes restriction will be relaxed

As we’ve established prior, Dorian Finney-Smith has played fewer minutes at the Lakers than he used to at the Nets. Lakers head coach, JJ Reddick, addressed this ahead of the Lakers game on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards.

“It’s been hard because he’s been on a minutes restriction since we got him. So just having to kind of navigate that and try to save him, save those like four or five minutes for the end of the game. It’s been challenging,” said the Lakers head coach.

However, the Lakers head coach provided a ray of hope for Lakers fans to cling to. Reddick revealed that this minutes restriction is being loosened and may be gone altogether as Doe-Doe recovers. Reddick said, “We got word [on Tuesday] that we can up his minutes from 20 to 24. So that helps, that helps.” 

Given DFS missed 4 games owing to a sprained left ankle, it’s not hard to see why Reddick is concerned. However, JJ himself said that DFS is “super comfortable in his role.” So, as he recovers physically and gets more acclimated to his new environment, he may soon become a regular fixture in the Lakers squad later in the season.