Lonzo Ball has gained a reputation during his early years in the NBA as a streaky offensive player, particularly as an outside shooter. Even in his brief time in New Orleans, the Pelicans have seen some of the best of Ball and some of the worst.
However, for the better part of the last calendar year and more, Ball has been an above-average 3-point shooter. Watching him from the sideline and on the court during that entire stretch has been teammate JJ Redick.
Following Wednesday’s game against the Suns, Redick spoke about Ball’s impact on the Pelicans offense, particularly when he’s playing with confidence as he has of late.
“It’s not just shooting the basketball,” Redick said. “It’s the speed he can play with, his ability to get downhill, his ability to just be on the attack and put the defense on their heels. There’s a downhill effect to that. There’s a snowball effect to that. There’s an aggression level he played with tonight and he’s played with in a number of games recently that we love to see. We need him to be aggressive every night for us.
“I’m confident in him as a shooter that, if he takes 10 threes, he’s going to make four or five every night. He’s going to be a 40%-plus 3-point shooter. He’s just got to take those shots every time.”
The 40% mark Redick mentions is not one Ball has surpassed in a season. Last year, Ball shot 37.5%, the best mark of his career. However, there have been stretches where Ball has cleared the 40-percent mark.
Last season from December through mid-March when the league shut down, Ball shot 39.2% from three on 6.5 attempts per game in a span of 45 games. This season, after a slow start, Ball is shooting 45.6% on 7.6 attempts per game over the last nine games since returning from injury.
Ball’s future, particularly on the offensive end, comes down to how consistently he can knock down 3-pointers. While he has improved at getting to and finishing at the rim this year, ultimately his greatest value will come as a shooter. And if he can stretch out some of his stretches of play the last two seasons over the course of the year, he could perhaps become the shooter Redick envisions he may be.