Let the 3D forward fight in the inside, is the Lakers arrangement doomed to fail?

In a previous NBA playoff game, the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Los Angeles Lakers who played at home 103-96. After this game, the Timberwolves set the total score of the series at 4-1. They successfully reached the Western Conference semi-finals and will compete with the winner between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors for a spot in the Western Conference Finals; while the Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

In this game, Dorian Finney-Smith, who was forced to serve as the Lakers' starting center, also worked very hard, but unfortunately his efforts did not work well. Smith played 29 minutes and 20 seconds in the game, made 3 of 5 shots and 1 of 3 from outside the three-point line. He scored 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. There were 1 turnover and 6 fouls, with a plus-minus value of -2. As a forward player, Smith had to fight in the opponent's inside for a long time, and this arrangement also led to Smith's ability being unable to fully display. Smith no longer has the energy to contribute more on the offensive end. His disadvantage in body shape has led to his lack of sufficient rebounding protection and basket protection ability. He has also made a lot of fouls and left the field early. Affected by tactical arrangements, Smith's advantages on both offense and defense were unable to play, and this greatly affected the Lakers' overall competitiveness and led to the team's defeat.

After joining the Lakers, Smith played 43 times in the NBA regular season, averaging 28.8 minutes per game, averaging 7.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.3 blocks, and 0.9 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. His shooting percentage was 44.2%, three-point shooting percentage was 39.8%, and free throw shooting percentage was 71.4%. So far in the playoffs, Smith has averaged 34 minutes of playing time in the first three games, with averaging 6.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.4 blocks. He also had one turnover and 3.4 fouls, with a shooting percentage of 41.4% and a three-point shooting percentage of 36.8%.

Smith is a 3D type of forward player, and everyone knows this. It is also an operation that can be tried and can also achieve miraculous results at some point. However, Lakers head coach JJ Redick is obviously a bit obsessed with this. Let Smith take the center position throughout the game and let him fight Rudy Gobert directly, such an arrangement has basically declared the Lakers' defeat. We don't know what Reddick is thinking, and how he observes the situation on the field during the game. It’s obvious that it’s unreasonable and still has to go all the way to the dark, which is really a bit embarrassing Smith.