When Lonzo Ball was taken as the No. 2 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers, his unconventional shooting form was a major concern from NBA evaluators. And through the first two years of Ball’s NBA career, those concerns were valid.
Ball is a career 31.5 percent 3-point shooter and a dreadful 43.7 percent from the free-throw line. Though he made some tweaks to shorten his shot before last season, he only saw marginal improvement in his shooting statistics (from really bad to bad). His form simply wasn’t working, and few would have questioned the Pelicans if they urged Ball to make mechanical changes to his shot after the trade.
Judging from a recent workout video, though, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
The Pelicans shared a video from Ball’s basketball trainer, and we can see that the shooting form has gone mostly unchanged as Ball heads into his third season.
He’s still shooting with the ball positioned on the left side of his head and his vision slightly obstructed by his arm.
In all likelihood, Ball’s ankle injury prevented him from completely overhauling his shot this offseason. He only recently started getting back into full basketball activities. But if he has another down year as a shooter, don’t be surprised if the Pelicans urge some changes going forward.
He might not have any other option.
