New Orleans Pelicans: 3 goals for Lonzo Ball for a successful season

New Orleans Pelicans: Lonzo Ball success from 3-point range

The 3-Point Shot

Last season, Lonzo Ball made huge improvements in his 3-point shooting, both in percentage and volume, evolving into an above-average shooter.

But by the end of the season, he relied far too much on the 3-pointer, nearly abandoning his dribble penetration altogether. Lonzo is a good spot-up shooter but he is also one of the best passers in the NBA, so limiting him to standing behind the 3-point line would be wasting his talent.

Lonzo needs to get to the rim more, to use his size and ball-handling to get into the lane to find open teammates or finish from short-range.

If Lonzo can start getting to the rim and finishing with more consistency, it will further open up his 3-point game and make him far more difficult to defend.

Right now, teams just let Lonzo get into the lane knowing that he is likely to pass. Even if he does take the shot, he has hit a very low percentage of shots at the rim, and just over 14 percent of his shots from 5-9 feet.

This has to change. Not only does Lonzo have to get more aggressive but he needs to make the shots once he gets there or teams are just going to continue to let him have them.

Fans have argued about Lonzo Ball’s role, with some worried Stan Van Gundy is going to turn him into a 3-and-D wing instead of a primary ball-handler.

The truth is that his destiny is probably somewhere in between, a guy who can make plays, and create good shots for teammates and himself.

But Lonzo can’t just rely on 3-point shots and has to get into the lane to maximize his effectiveness.