Long the most criticized aspect of his game, Lonzo Ball’s 3-point shooting has been on an upward trend for the better part of the last year. Dating back to early in the 2019-20 season, Ball has seen his new jump shot produce drastically improved results.
However, a poor finish to last season in the bubble and a slow start to the 2020-21 season as he battled injuries saw his shooting percentages drastically dip. While it may have turned many off the scent, Ball has responded with the best stretch of his career as a shooter.
To start, Ball’s 5-of-10 shooting performance on Wednesday – which included missing the potential game-winner in the final seconds – against the Blazers raised his season shooting percentage from beyond the arc to 38.1%, an improvement on last season and the best percentage of his career.
As noted, though, Ball’s turnaround started in December of 2019 and, for now, looks to be a turning point in his career. Prior to December 2019, Ball played 110 games and shot 189-for-593 (31.8%) from 3-point range for both the Lakers and Pelicans.
Since the start of December 2019, Ball has played 77 games, all for the Pelicans. He has shot 196-for-514 (38.1%) from 3-point range, a huge improvement over the first two seasons of his NBA career.
The post-December 2019 figures also include the two previously mentioned slumps Ball went through. Effectively, between closing the 2019-20 season in a slump and opening the 2020-21 season in a slump, Ball had a 17-game stretch where he shot 31-for-109 (28.4%) from 3-point territory.
Set that aside – and yes, this is getting heavily into cherry-picking stats – and Ball has shot 40.7% from 3-point territory in the 60 other games post-December 2019.
This season, since returning from injury, Ball is absolutely sizzling as an outside shooter. Over his last 12 games, Ball is shooting 45.8% from 3-point range on exactly eight attempts per game. To put that in perspective, only six players have attempted as many 3-pointers as Ball has in that span and only Stephen Curry (47.3%) is shooting a better percentage.
Expand it out to just eight attempts per game in that span and only Terry Rozier and Curry are above Ball. At seven attempts per game, Zach LaVine and Grayson Allen jump to the top of the list. Point being, Ball is among the game’s elite shooters right now.
That the Pelicans’ offense has exploded at the same time as Ball has found his footing from range is not a coincidence. Since January 29, a span of the last 12 games for the Pelicans, only the star-studded Brooklyn Nets have a better offensive rating than New Orleans.
Ball’s importance to the Pelicans can not be understated. To get the best out of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, the Pelicans must surround them with shooters and defenders and Ball has been elite at both ends of the court this season.
His stretch has put the trade rumors long, long in the past and should have the Pelicans and their fans thinking of what his future may hold in the Big Easy.