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Lakers Continue to Live and Die by the Three Ball

By Shereen Rayan

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Watching the Lakers lose seven games to begin a season can be rough for Lakers fans, and so can trying to figure out why exactly the Lakers are losing.

Most fans who discuss basketball feel they know the game and their team so well, that they are self-proclaimed experts in analyzing why the Lakers are losing games. While attention has surrounded Byron Scott’s coaching decisions, Kobe Bryant’s playing time, and so on, speculation can also be centered around the number of 3-point shots the Lakers are attempting.

The question is, how do the Lakers match up to the rest of the teams in the NBA in 3-point shot attempts so far this season? Also, do the related stats give us any insight into the real reasons the Lakers are losing? Let’s delve into the details to see if the stats and a little analysis will help enlighten fans.

Are the Lakers losing because they are attempting the most 3-pointers?

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Out of the 30 NBA teams in the league as of 11/11/2015, the Lakers (1-7) rank seventh with 201 3-point attempts. The Lakers rank in the top third of the NBA at 3-point attempts, and there are six teams ahead of them (* denotes top three teams):

  1. 234 – Golden State Warriors (8-0) *
  2. 231 – Atlanta Hawks (7-2) *
  3. 225 – Portland Trailblazers (4-4)
  4. 223 – Houston Rockets (4-3)
  5. 206 – Cleveland Cavaliers (7-1) *
  6. 202 – Chicago Bulls (5-3)

At this point in the season, there doesn’t seem to be a direct correlation between 3-point shot attempts and a team’s win/loss record. That is to say, the top six teams attempting the most threes have varying records. That said, these teams all have records better than the Lakers. The league attempts an average of 175 3-pointers and the Lakers are shooting more than about two-thirds of the league.

You can conclude that even though the Lakers have a 1-7 record, they are shooting about the same amount of threes as the top three teams.

Are the Lakers losing because they are not making their 3-pointers?

Jan 15, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) reacts after a three-point basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the NBA game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Maybe, what’s more important than how many 3-pointers are attempted, is how many of these shots are actually falling. The answer is telling; the Lakers only made 31.3 percent of their deep balls (or 63 out of 201) and are tied for tenth place with the Sacramento Kings and the Orlando Magic. The top five NBA teams who made the most 3-pointers are as follows:

  1. 93- Golden State Warriors (8-0) *
  2. 83 – Portland Trailblazers (4-4)
  3. 83 – Atlanta Hawks (7-2) *
  4. 77 – Chicago Bulls (5-3)
  5. 72 – Cleveland Cavaliers (7-1) *

Once again, there doesn’t seem to be much of a correlation between the number of 3-pointers made and win/loss record although the top three teams are in the top five of threes made.

What about looking at the percentage of 3-pointers made, does that correlate to having a losing record?

The Lakers three-point success rate is a low 31.3 percent and ranks 23rd out of 30 teams. The top five teams shooting and making the most 3-pointers are as follows:

  1. 40.5% (70/173)- Oklahoma City Thunder (5-3)
  2. 39.7% (93/234)- Golden State Warriors (8-0) *
  3. 38.7% (53/157) – Utah Jazz (4-3)
  4. 38.1% (77/202) – Chicago Bulls (5-3)
  5. 36.9% (83/225) – Portland Trailblazers (4-4)

If you look at the percentage of 3-pointers made, you can say there is some relation, since most of the teams in the top five have winning records, even if all top-three teams are not represented in the top five of 3-point percentage, they are in the top 12 (Atlanta is ranked No. 7 and Cleveland No. 12.)

Jan 11, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Ryan Kelly (4) heads down court after a three-point basket in the first half of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Note that the Lakers made 50 percent of their threes against the Heat even though they lost the game. You could conclude that if the Lakers could keep this up or even just make ten percent more they could have a winning record. Of course, there are some intangibles to take into consideration and things that must go right. As we have seen in the last couple seasons when the Lakers team chemistry starts to crumble, the team’s win/loss record also falters.

What about other stats?

If you assess the number of assists a team makes, there seems to be a correlation between this stat and a teams win/loss record. The Lakers rank No. 29 out of the 30 teams in assists.

The team may make a lot of passes but are those passes resulting in made shots?

The Lakers have racked up a total of 128 assists in seven games, the only team beneath them are the Detroit Pistons with 117 assists. Guess who the top three teams are in this category? Yes, the top three teams in the league:

  1. 242 – Atlanta Hawks (7-2) *
  2. 237 – Golden State Warriors (8-0) *
  3. 207 – Cleveland Cavaliers (7-1) *

Summary

If the Lake Show Life were to give some advice to the Lakers and their coaches, it would be to rack up more assists for made three-pointers. Also, they still need to work on that team chemistry if at all possible with Kobe coming in and out of the lineup.

Next: Is Lou Williams Stunting the Growth of LA's Young Guards?

Agree with this analysis? Still think the Lakers are losing because they are attempting too many 3-pointers? Let us know in the comments below.

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