When the Lakers’ training camp opens on Monday, there are all sorts of questions waiting to be answered, and many of them revolve around second-year point guard Lonzo Ball. Ball is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery, so naturally there is some concern about exactly where he is in his recovery.
There’s also the question about just where he fits into the pecking order after the front office acquired Rajon Rondo in the offseason and whether those two will have to start duking it out on Monday for the starting point guard position. Oh, and then there’s Lonzo’s unorthodox shooting form, a question that will never go away until he either changes it or starts making shots consistently.
On Friday, team president Magic Johnson did his best to assuage those fears by announcing that not only has Lonzo tweaked his form a bit so that he has a better release point, but that this revamped form has him poised for a breakout year.
Via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN:
“And, man, it is beautiful,” Johnson said.
“We explained that this is going to be the most important offseason, and while he could be on the court, his shot looked great. He is going to be ready to have a breakout season and build on what he did last season, because it was only a couple of things he had to do better, and that was driving to the basket, finish and get the midrange in terms of getting his shot where he is on balance. It is not his shot. He just has to be on balance. … I am excited for Lonzo, and he is going to be fine.”
Johnson claims that the front office had nothing to do with Lonzo altering his form this summer, despite the fact that he shot just over 36 percent from the field overall last season and just 30 percent from behind the arc. Johnson said that Lonzo took it upon himself to work on his mechanics in the offseason and that it’s the subtle tweaks, rather than a complete overhaul, that should make a difference.
The Lakers released a video earlier this month that appeared to show the subtle changes to which they’re referring.
In the ZOne pic.twitter.com/5VIcrw1Y3v
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 8, 2018
No matter how much Magic and the organization preach patience, there is significantly more pressure for Lonzo to make a leap this season given the arrival of LeBron James, and any lingering issues with his shooting form and efficiency will be a big distraction. How this all plays out over the course of the season still remains to be seen.
(Via ESPN)
