The Los Angeles Lakers were thrilled when they were able to select UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. After all, heading into the draft lottery, odds were that they would be sending their top-three protected pick to the Philadelphia 76ers as a final punch to the gut from the ill-fated Steve Nash trade.
Fortunately, the basketball Gods smiled upon Los Angeles and awarded them the second pick, which allowed them to draft the point guard who seemed to be the perfect fit for their new up-tempo offense. Ball could push the pace and find teammates in stride for easy baskets while also spreading his selfless brand of team-first basketball.
It was perfect…until Ball’s shot deserted him for the first quarter (so far) of his rookie season. Ball has an unconventional shooting stroke, and his poor percentages of 32 percent from the field, 25 percent from three, and a head-scratching 42 percent from the free throw line have caused fans near and far to call for his shot to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up.
With all of that going on, the Lakers Nation Podcast spoke with NBA shooting coach David Nurse to get to the bottom of things. Nurse, who has spent time working with Ball on his shot, discussed how he would handle the situation.
Nurse also explained why Ball’s confidence has more to do with his missed shots than anything else, and how he would go about getting Ball to feel good about his shot once again.
Of course, Nurse is a shooting coach, so he does suggest a few things for Ball to shore up, but nothing that would require a total tear down that some are claiming.
They also discuss the Lakers offense as a whole, which has turned away from three-point shooting, and whether that is a sustainable plan long-term. Lots to talk about on today’s show, just click the player above to give it a listen.
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