Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons why fans shouldn’t panic right now
By Robert Marvi
4. The Los Angeles Lakers are shooting the three well
One of the concerns coming into this season for the Lakers was the 3-point shot. The team has struggled at times in that department over the last couple of seasons, even when it won the NBA championship in 2020.
To that end, general manager Rob Pelinka signed reliable 3-point shooters such as Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore, Malik Monk, Wayne Ellington and Kendrick Nunn.
Surprisingly, the team is doing pretty well with its outside shooting so far.
In their first game against the Warriors, the Lakers made 35.7 percent of their 3-pointers, which is respectable. On Friday against Phoenix, L.A. shot 44.1 percent from downtown, which is red-hot.
Anthony is continuing his outstanding outside shooting from last season, and LeBron James is hitting from the outside very well (more on him later).
This is a very good sign, especially since it has come in spite of some poor overall play on the offensive end.
To be sure, there will be nights where L.A. won’t be able to throw a pea in the ocean from beyond the arc, but that’s true for all teams.
But if the Lakers, in general, continue to stroke the 3-ball like this, it will be a hugely positive asset to build on.