3. 3-Point Shooting
While the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the league leaders in the NBA in field goal percentage, blocks, and assists, the same cannot be said about their ability to shoot the ball from the 3-point line.
The Lakers are amongst the worst 3-point shooting teams in the entire NBA with a paltry 32.7% from the 3-point line.
With Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Troy Daniels, Quinn Cook, Rajon Rondo, and Jared Dudley all considered above-average 3-point shooters, you would have thought that the purple and gold would be at least in the middle of the pack. You would think wrong.
With the Lakers making a concerted effort to address the need for 3-point shooting this offseason, it is slightly perplexing why they have not been more successful from the arc.
Well, if you think about it, it seems quite clear why the Lakers have not been good from the 3-point line.
Six of the Lakers’ key contributors are less than stellar from the 3-point line. LeBron James is currently averaging 30.4% from the 3-point line, Kyle Kuzma (28.6%), Anthony Davis (29.6%), JaVale McGee (a career 7.4% 3-point shooter), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (22.7%), Dwight Howard (9.5% career 3-point shooter).
While some players like Kuzma and KCP might up their 3-point percentage, it still does not come close to the league average.
When the above players are seeing the most minutes in the rotation, it is clear to see why the Lakers are a poor 3-point shooting team.
A quick solution to the 3-point shooting problem is giving more minutes to impactful shooters. This has the potential to be troublesome if it comes at the expensive of a player who might be able to offer more on both ends of the floor.
For now, the Lakers should try and allow the starters to shoot their way out of their slump.