Dorian Finney-Smith determined to have ‘disrespect’ of Nets fuel culture

As soon as the Nets traded Mikal Bridges, conventional wisdom was Dorian Finney-Smith wouldn’t be far behind.

But rumor mill aside, Finney-Smith — along with fellow veterans Cam Johnson and Dennis Schroder — is back in Brooklyn for training camp.

The trio of vets are helping new coach Jordi Fernandez try to build some sort of a healthy culture, and exceed expectations that they feel are, frankly, insultingly low.

“Me, Dennis Schroder, we were talking and we just want everybody to know that we ain’t deferring to just tank or whatever,” Finney-Smith said Wednesday. “They’re saying we’re going to win 17 games. I feel like this team should take that as disrespect, and use it as motivation.

“People don’t know how healthy Ben [Simmons] is going to be. But we’ve been seeing him for the last four weeks and he looks great. So, if bro gets back on the court I feel like it’s gonna help our team a lot, and we’re going to shake the NBA.”

Shaking the NBA might be a tall order, especially after dealing away Bridges off last year’s 32-50 team. And the oddsmakers have the Nets going backwards, from a league-low projected 19.5 wins to now 18.5 on FanDuel.

The Nets are using them as motivation — even if Finney-Smith acknowledged he hasn’t actually read them himself, because he’s weaning himself off social media.

“Well, actually I ain’t seen it. It’s just what I’ve been hearing,” Finney-Smith admitted. “I can’t be on social media a lot because I’m trying to get my kids to get off social media, so I’m trying to lead by example. I really didn’t see it, so I’m just going by what the guys in the locker room are saying.”

The Nets rejected an offer of two first-round picks for Finney-Smith in 2023, but their pivot to a rebuild is why moving veterans seems logical.

Finney-Smith might even be the most likely to depart, if only because he seems likely to decline his $15.4 million player option for 2025-26, meaning he could leave as an unrestricted free agent next summer unless he’s dealt before.

These are frank, open conversations that Finney-Smith and Johnson have had, with both Fernandez and general manager Sean Marks.

“No. 1 thing is, I ask them how they feel and if they need anything from me, if they have any questions. We’ll be clear and transparent,” Fernandez said. “I think Sean has been very clear and transparent. I love having them around. They’re great veterans and they can help us set this foundation here. Other than that, I can [only] control the controllables, same as them.

“If something changes, we for sure will be straightforward and let them know. I asked them if they had any questions. They said no. Our doors — mine, Sean, everybody else in the organization — doors are open. We have a clear vision. The answer they gave me is they didn’t have any questions at the time. So, after two practices I’m very happy how hard they’ve practiced for themselves and the team.”

Finney-Smith averaged 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds in 68 games last season, 56 of them starts.

While Johnson seems locked in at one forward spot — at least until newly acquired veteran Bojan Bogdanovic gets healthy enough to compete with him — Finney-Smith could vie at the other with second-year pro Noah Clowney.

“Noah, he’s getting better, man. He’s getting real good,” Finney-Smith said. “He’s getting real good. The game is slowing down for him. That tends to happen in your second year after you get some bump. He’s shooting the ball a lot more, and with a lot more confidence. So, again, he’s going to have a great year. He’s been getting better all summer.”