Lonzo Ball hasn’t been an efficient 3-point shooter by any stretch of the imagination through his first two seasons in the NBA, shooting 31.5 percent from behind the arc on 523 total career attempts. His percentages haven’t had much on an affect on his confidence, though.
After practice on Thursday, Ball faced off against JJ Redick in a friendly 3-point shooting competition. For context, Redick is a career 41.3 percent 3-point shooter and ranks eighth among active players in 3-point makes. Four seasons ago, he led the league in 3-point percentage at 47.5 percent on 5.6 attempts per game.
To no surprise, Ball lost, but he did show of his new and improved 3-point stroke and looked like he was having fun in the process.
The Pelicans will rely heavily on Redick for 3-point shooting next season, as he’s one of the few reliable 3-point shooters on the roster. E’Twaun Moore is also an efficient 3-point shooter, but he doesn’t attempt as many as Redick. The same can be said of Nicolo Melli, who will be making his NBA debut at 28 years old after spending nine years in the EuroLeague.
If Ball can rediscover the success he had from behind the arc at UCLA, he’ll raise the ceiling of the team substantially. With a better-looking 3-point stroke, that’s more likely than it was before.
