Be a More Well-Rounded Scorer
Ball is probably not going to consistently be a 20 point scorer in the NBA. That’s okay, though. Expecting a pass-first player with flawed shooting mechanics to be that is far-fetched, at least for now. Ball’s herky-jerky shooting motion makes it really difficult to get off jump shots quickly, and makes his stepback move often telegraphed for opposing defenders. He only shot 31.7 percent on pull-ups last year (including just 29.0 percent on three’s), per NBA.com.
As a pick-and-roll ball handling scorer, he placed in just the 18th percentile, per Synergy Sports. That part of his game must drastically improve and keep defenders more honest when covering him. Nevertheless, with the gravity of James in both the halfcourt and in transition, Ball shouldn’t have to hoist a ton of shots off the bounce in the pick-and-roll, and get plenty of wide-open perimeter shots that won’t be too deterred by his awkward release.
With that added separation, one would think he’d be able to improve on his 30.5 percent average from three-point land. His ability to hit on those shots will likely play a significant role in whether or not L.A. can make noise in the Western Conference. As the season moved along, he did have some bright spots with that jumper.
He placed in the 50th percentile last season on spot-ups, per Synergy, but only shot 23.5 percent on corner triples, per Basketball-Reference. He’ll have his chances in the corners via passes from James, Rondo, new addition Lance Stephenson, and Brandon Ingram at times, so if he can at least hit those at around 35 percent, it could go a long way. In addition to perimeter shots, Ball needs to finish better near the rim.
He only shot 47.9 percent in the restricted area, and made just 42.6 percent of his layups, per NBA.com. If that restricted area percentage can increase to league average (60.0 percent), that would be adequate.
Next, to transition. Despite having a great feel as a passer in man-advantage situations, he only placed in the fifth percentile as a transition scorer last year, per Synergy. Another NBA season under his belt will improve that. He really can’t finish at a worse rate. Granted, he’ll throw plenty of lobs and touchdown passes to James and Kyle Kuzma, anyhow.
He also shot just 45.1 percent from the free throw line, which may have played a part psychologically in his inefficiency near the basket. He needs to get much better there, and it doesn’t take a quantum physicist to recognize that. For the second improvement area, Ball must be able to last throughout a long season for the Lakers.
Next Up: Improvement Area 2
