It’s no secret the Los Angeles Lakers need to add capable shooters to bolster the roster for next season.
The Lakers ranked 21st in the league in 3-point shooting during the regular season, and the percentage deteriorated during the playoffs.
Los Angeles shot 35.4 percent from deep in the regular season but mustered a 29.9 percent rate in six playoff games.
Head coach Frank Vogel tried bringing in Markieff Morris and Ben McLemore as adjustments since the regular rotation — other than LeBron James — simply couldn’t convert looks, even if they were open.
The struggles manifested on the big stage, and now it’s a problem the front office must address for next season.
On an episode of The Jump on ESPN, Lakers reporter Dave McMenamin discussed how shooting will be a priority in the offseason:
It’s got to be shooting, shooting and more shooting…If you don’t have shooters around LeBron and AD [Anthony Davis], what’s the point of having LeBron and AD? You limit what they’re able to do and how they’re able to help a team win. And so that’s on Rob Pelinka to figure out which one of these guys potentially could be part of it moving forward. A Ben McLemore, a Wes Matthews or see what else is out there.”
Both McLemore and Matthews will be unrestricted free agents when the market opens on Aug. 2 and are possibilities to return next season.
McLemore came late in the year after the Houston Rockets bought out his contract. He shot 36.8 percent from deep in 21 regular-season games but didn’t log many minutes in the playoffs because of his defensive deficiencies.
Matthews’ percentage took a hit compared to his production in previous years. He shot 33.5 percent in L.A. after shooting 36.4 percent with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, 37.2 percent in 2018-19 and 38.1 percent in 2017-18.
Players like Doug McDermott, Nicolas Batum and Reggie Bullock are proven shooters at the forward position that the Lakers could potentially snag.
Regardless of who, Los Angeles urgently needs to add better shooters to surround James and Davis while the championship window is open.
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