Lakers guard Lonzo Ball has already made it known that he’s a great passer and sees the floor extremely well for a rookie, but he’s struggled to knock down shots through five games of play.
The knock on Ball before he even entered the league was that he had an unorthodox shooting motion, and the Lakers rookie didn’t seem to have any interest in adjusting it. Head coach Luke Walton was recently asked about it, and he also shot down the idea of Ball tinkering with his shooting style, calling it “silly.”
Still, Ball has made only 20 of 64 field goals he’s attempted thus far this season — which amounts to a lackluster 31.25 percent shooting percentage — and something has to give. Walton, however, is not concerned about it, and added that Ball makes a lot of shots in practice.
Walton says he's not concerned with Lonzo's shooting after 5 games. Wants him to keep shooting, he makes a lot in practice
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) October 28, 2017
Shooting well in practice, without being defended closely, is something many players excel at. It’s a different story in games, however, going up against some of the best point guards in the world.
Ball, to his credit, has done a great job of distributing the ball to his teammates. He’s recorded 42 assists through just five games of play, and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders pointed out how dangerous the Lakers’ offense can be if Ball starts knocking down shots.
If Lonzo could actually shoot, in addition to what he's doing well on the court, that's a difference maker – may not happen for some time
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) October 28, 2017
This will be an interesting story to follow as the season progresses. We expect Ball to keep shooting, in an attempt to turn the corner and break out of his slump. It remains to be seen if he’ll be successful in doing so, though, so stay tuned over the next few months to see how he fares with more experience under his belt.
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