On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers opened the regular season against the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors, only to lose, 123-109.
The main culprit was the 3-point shot, as L.A. went just 10-of-40 from beyond the arc.
Many feel that it wasn’t just a bad night in that department and that the team will see many more nights where it cannot throw a pea in the ocean. The Lakers have a lack of very reliable 3-point shooters, and it is a weakness opponents will look to exploit.
Head coach Darvin Ham, however, seems a bit more optimistic, as he feels practice will help his shooters hit more shots (@ 4:03).
"We had a lot of senseless turnovers, but it's game-1. We have an opportunity to coach this team and tighten things up and get better." – Darvin Ham shares his thoughts after the #Lakers' season opener. pic.twitter.com/xGOlXFLGmR
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 19, 2022
“It’s a make-or-miss league. We just got to continue to get the reps, get them up and practice, get them up at shootaround, you know, individual workouts. We do our vitamins. We just got to continue to shoot, shoot, shoot, you know, repetition. You become better at anything with more reps. So you just got to get them up. I was really pleased, though, how we defended the three point line in the first half. I think they were 5-for-20, we were 3-for-21. But we just got there all open looks. That’s designed within the system. Guys just got to step up and knock down shots. It’s not nothing to be explained in that regard.”
Perhaps the Lakers will improve somewhat in that department as the season wears on and guys get into a better rhythm while building chemistry with each other. But it is clear they don’t have an abundance of 3-point shooting, and LeBron James is very aware of it.
