There’s a lot to like about Lonzo Ball’s game, but there certainly is major room for improvement.
The Los Angeles Lakers rookie has incredible court vision and is a gifted passer, but there are question marks regarding his shooting. Ball does not have a conventional release, which could play a factor in his below-average numbers thus far. Ball currently is shooting 31 percent from the field with a 25 percent clip from beyond the arc.
Despite Ball’s shooting woes, the Lakers don’t have any immediate plans to change his shooting motion. During an appearance on ESPN’s “Mike & Mike” on Monday, team president of basketball operations Magic Johnson explained why L.A. will continue to let Ball play his game.
“I think it’s a fine line because what you have to do is first, he’s been shooting that way his whole life,” Johnson said, as transcribed by ForTheWin. “So what we wanted to do is let him play his game. Let him shoot the way he’s been shooting and hopefully they’ll go in. And so, we’re not gonna mess with it. We’re gonna let him shoot and play his game. If after the season, and he’s not shooting well, then we’ll sit down with him and say, ‘Hey, let’s maybe look at different way or let’s try to improve the way you are shooting.’
“We can break it down with him, but we don’t want to mess with his shot. He’s proven that he’s knocked that shot down. And we want to encourage him to keep shooting.”
It’s definitely far too early to start panicking about Ball, considering he’s only 20 years old. And if he can start knocking down shots like Johnson expects he will, the Lakers surely will be more than content with the new face of their franchise.
