Lonzo Ball has digressed in nearly every statistical category this season, including, but not limited to, field goal percentage, rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game and defensive rating. However, the one area he’s drastically improved is his 3-point percentage.
Through 16 games for the New Orleans Pelicans, Ball has shot 34% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per game. He’s still not an efficient 3-point shooter by any stretch of the imagination, but the progress is there thanks to the changes he made to his jump shot over the summer, and Ball feels it, too.
During an interview with Andrew Lopez of ESPN, Ball said that he’s more comfortable with the rhythm of his jump shot than he has been in the past:
“I think now my shot is just more consistent,” Ball said. “It feels the same throughout the game instead of how I had it last year when it was kind of adjusting throughout the game. It just comes with hard work. I’m going to keep working and hopefully [shooting percentages] will keep going up.”
The key for Ball continuing his improvement as a 3-point shooter will be getting live-game reps. Yes, getting shots up at practice will help, but the more he gets those shots in game situations, the better.
Luckily, Ball’s new head coach, Alvin Gentry, seems to want that for him, too.
