Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura. Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Lakers role players continue to feast off Big Three's gravity

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Apr 1, 2025 8:15 AM ET

When three cerebral players — LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves — actively try to break down defenses, their teammates benefit.

Just ask Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith, who combined for 47 points in Monday's 104-98 win over the Rockets, just 48 hours after they poured in 39 in a victory over the Grizzlies.

After the win against Memphis, in which they shot a combined 10-of-18 from three, Vincent, Hachimura and Finney-Smith talked about the number of open looks they've been enjoying due to the attention commanded by the Lakers' Big Three.

Rui Hachimura says he, Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith talked after the game about how many wide open looks they are getting because of the attention on Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) March 30, 2025

Their contributions were even more essential in Monday's win, given the rough shooting nights James, Doncic and Reaves endured. The Lakers' star trio combined to shoot a horrible 3-of-14 from three and desperately needed the role players to come up big. Vincent and Finney-Smith (season-high) answered the ball with 20 points apiece, becoming the first Lakers teammates to each drain six threes off the bench.

Fun fact: Gabe Vincent and Dorian Finney-Smith are the first pair of Lakers teammates with 6+ 3P each off the bench in the same game. pic.twitter.com/Cy24Mu6oZ6
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 1, 2025

Dorian Finney-Smith vs Houston:

20 PTS
6 REB
2 STL
3 BLK
6 3P

First player in franchise history with those numbers off the bench. pic.twitter.com/FwMgPIuoVx
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 1, 2025

After Monday's win, Lakers head coach JJ Redick couldn't stop raving about his role players for stepping to the plate in recent games. Redick made it a point to highlight that the Lakers generated a season-high 29 catch-and-shoot threes — many of which were uncontested — due to the gravity of James, Doncic and Reaves.

"If you want to be a good basketball team, you need guys to star in their roles," Redick said. "On bad teams, players reject their roles. On good teams, players accept their roles. On great teams, players embrace their roles... We've had a number of guys on our team who have fully embraced their roles, and it's been the difference in our season."

Meanwhile, Finney-Smith credited Doncic and James for encouraging him to shoot even when he doesn't have the hot hand. Those words of encouragement are working. DFS is making 2.9 threes per game at a mind-boggling clip of 47.3 percent over his last 10 games.

If DFS, Vincent and Hachimura continue to be "stars in their roles," this Lakers team will be tough to beat in the playoffs.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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