Going 1-for-9 and scoring two points in 21 minutes is no NBA player’s idea of a good night at the office. Doing so in a showdown with the other highly touted rookie in your season only adds to that frustration. Such was the case for Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball, who had that dismal showing in Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers (and fellow phenom point guard, Ben Simmons).
Ball’s shooting struggles have been a topic of late in Lakerland. To some of his teammates and coaches, those struggles may be due in part to the off-the-court situation and stresses surround his brother, LiAngelo — a UCLA player who was recently detained in China for shoplifting. No matter what the issue stems from, Ball has been hard at work of late trying to get his offensive game right.
Bill Oram of the Orange County Register reports that Lakers coach Luke Walton is trying to get Ball — and the rest of the Lakers — on track on offense as tonight’s game vs. the Phoenix Suns looms (10:30 ET, NBA League Pass):
When practice rolled around Thursday morning, Ball was “not the same playful, joyful Lonzo that he normally is,” Coach Luke Walton said.
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The Lakers continue to work with Ball on his shot selection. Walton focused on one 3-pointer in Wednesday’s loss when Ball “was kind of holding it then raised up to shoot it.”
No ball movement, no pressure on the defense, no rebounders in position.
“To me that’s a bad shot,” Walton said. “But if he’s going to his left and they go under (a screen) and he’s in rhythm and wants to pull up and shoot that 3, then we’re good with that. That’s what we want.”
Ball’s 3-point woes are representative of a bigger problem. The Lakers rank last in the NBA in 3-point percentage (28.8 percent) and shots made from beyond the arc (seven per game).
