When the Los Angeles Lakers started 2-10 and hovered several games under .500 deep into January, one of the biggest culprits was their lack of 3-point shooting.
They ranked at or near the bottom of the NBA in that category during that span, and the book on them was seemingly to pack the paint and ask them to fire from the outside.
When the Lakers made their slew of midseason trades, particularly the one that swapped Russell Westbrook for D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt, some thought their 3-point woes were going to end. Not exactly.
Even though they had the league’s second-best record after the All-Star break and ranked 13th in 3-point accuracy during that span, they fell to 11th in the playoffs among the 16 teams that qualified.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic says that the team has prioritized upgrading in the 3-point shooting department this offseason.
Via The Athletic:
“A top priority for the Lakers next season is 3-point shooting. With James and Davis as the stars, there always will be a limit to the volume of attempts they get up. The bread and butter of the offense will be James’ downhill attacks and Davis’ interior dominance, but a better cast of shooters would open up the paint even more and create better shots as a consequence.”
While Russell shot very well from downtown in the regular season for L.A., he was an absolute dud in its sweep at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. Meanwhile, Beasley was a dud from the moment he put on a purple and gold jersey.
There is a chance neither will be with the Lakers next season.