Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball has taken a lot of criticism in his rookie year for his shooting and scoring output. Recently, he has been finding his groove.
With a ton of expectations on him, Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball has had arguably the most pressure on him since LeBron James was crowned the “Chosen One” coming out of high school.
Despite being very laid back, Ball has had to deal with a lot as a rookie in the NBA. With his outspoken father and constant criticism from the media, Ball has become one of the most-talked about players in the NBA.
As a rookie, Ball has certainly had some off nights. This is nothing new for a 20-year-old in the NBA. While he has been able to fill out a stat sheet nicely as a point guard, people have been very critical of his jump shot.
Early on, Ball’s unorthodox shot was struggling, and his field goal percentage was one of the worst in the league. However, as a good shooter at UCLA, it appeared to be a bit mental for Ball, as his confidence looked visibly shaken some nights.
Recently, Ball has been shooting much better over the past five games. In his last five games, Ball has averaged 12.2 points per game, and four of the five games he was able to score in double figures.
What has been most impressive about the scoring jump has been his efficiency in doing so. Over that span, Ball has shot 46.2 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three-point range. Seeing Ball finding his stroke from beyond the arc is certainly encouraging for the Lakers, as he was a solid 3-point shooter in college.
In his last three games, Ball has been able to hit three 3-pointers in each of them. Even though his scoring numbers are up, that hasn’t taken away from Ball setting up his teammates or grabbing rebounds.
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While this is a small sample size of shooting success for Ball, he doesn’t appear to have turned a corner. If Ball continues to shoot like he is now, the Lakers will be ecstatic, as he is performing like that player that they thought he could be.