LeBron James didn’t refrain from pointing out the Lakers’ lack of shooting after the team’s season-opening loss to the Warriors on Tuesday night. Los Angeles went a dreary 10-for-40 (25%) from the three-point line in the 123–109 loss, prompting the 37-year-old forward to be blunt about the team’s current roster construction.
“I think we’re getting great looks. But it could also be teams giving us great looks,” he said after the loss. “Being completely honest, we’re not a team that’s constructed of great shooting. That’s just the truth of the matter. It’s not like we’re sitting here with a lot of lasers on our team.”
James’s comment turned some heads given that it came exactly one game into the new year. However, first-year Lakers coach Darvin Ham didn’t have any problem with his star’s remarks, but did emphasize that he wants to empower his players to be confident about shooting when they get an open look.
“The worst thing you can do is be wide open and hesitate or not take the shot,” he said, per Kyle Goon of the OC Register. “It throws off the entire rhythm of what you’re trying to do offensively. And it seeps in a little bit of a disappointment going back toward the other end to get a stop. So I want our guys to be confident. I want them to know that I trust them to step up and shoot.”
Ham continued, explaining that he doesn’t take offense to comments from the team’s players due to the mutual respect he feels is present in the locker room.
“It’s a grown man’s league. Things are gonna be said, whether it’s directed at someone or not. We’re just gonna handle it in stride,” Ham said before the team’s second game against the Clippers, per Mark Medina. “I’ve been around this league for 26 years. I’ve been on quiet teams and I’ve been on loud teams. I have the utmost respect for those guys. I believe they have the utmost respect for me.
“There’s nothing taken personal about anything. We address it and we move on.”
Unfortunately for the Lakers, the shooting took a turn for the worse in Thursday’s game against their crosstown rivals. Despite a strong defensive effort, the Lakers went a horrid 9-for-45 (20%) from beyond the arc in the 103–97 loss to the Clippers.
Now 0–2 to start the year, the Lakers may need to start thinking about getting more shooting into the rotation. Whether that comes from within the organization or through a trade remains to be seen, but it’s clear that the team needs to quickly remedy the situation.
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