Each time the Los Angeles Lakers have acquired a “sharpshooter” in recent memory, it has nearly always been just a matter of time before the recurring Lakers shooting curse swallows them whole. Maybe it is a case of stage fright in one of basketball’s most massive spotlights, or maybe it is those dog-gone Monstars maintaining their otherworldly talent-snatching capabilities. The true explication may never be uncovered, but the pattern has been highly noticeable.
Looking at this from a glass-half-full angle, D’Angelo Russell actually shot better from beyond the arc as a Laker last season than he did prior to the trade that brought him over from Minnesota. This preseason, his onslaught from the outside has continued. Furthermore, offseason addition Taurean Prince has been scorching the net in the regular season prerequisite. His fellow Laker newbie Gabe Vincent has also been knocking down treys at a very high clip thus far in the preseason.
Could the tides be turning?
While those three have created a fair amount of optimism involving the prospective passing of these hypothetical demons, Christian Wood’s shooting slump out of the gates proves that they are still lingering around Crypto.com Arena.
Albeit in a microscopic sample size, his stroke has floundered thus far in comparison with his career 37.9% success rate from distance. If he can iron out the kinks and the others can continue hitting their shots, the work of the basketball Gods in this ongoing spiritual battle with the negative shooting spirits will be clear.
However, we cannot get too ahead of ourselves here. Firstly, it is the preseason. While it is okay to get excited about some of the things these guys are doing (good or bad), it is also essential to take the current happenings within the new roster with a grain of salt. Unless all of the stars align and these guys are all splashing triples well above league average right out of the gates, the enthusiasm must be tempered and we must remain realistic.
Regardless, the Lakers may need to add shooting help at some point.
Any kingdom home to LeBron James must also court quality shooting threats to open up space for the King to clash. The organization definitely did its best to surround James with ample shooting this summer. However, if those shooters are not producing the sounds of string music at a steady pace, the same organization will quickly look for others who can.
In a league where shooting has become a staple for success, there are plenty of snipers around the league. As the season plays out, the front office will have plenty of snipers to select from if they do in fact reach a point where more shooting is needed.