Postgame press conferences for head coach JJ Redick have begun to sound like something of a broken record.
While this could apply to multiple aspects of the Lakers as currently constructed, this time, it’s
regarding their shooting. On Sunday, the Lakers had their latest stinker from beyond the arc in their loss to the Knicks, finishing 12-42 from the 3-point line with five of those makes coming from Luka Dončić.
After the game, it was a sentiment that Redick has echoed before this season: They got good looks, but couldn’t knock them down.
“I thought we got good looks,” Redick said. “The defense in the first half in our zone, we played 23 possessions of it, held them to 19 points. Did enough throughout the game to play to win at the end. But, yeah, the shooting, their shooting killed us and our shooting didn’t help us.”
One of the benefits of having Luka and even this version of LeBron James is the open looks they can create. For years, the simple formula to building a contender was surrounding LeBron with four shooters, a memo that seemingly never made its way to Rob Pelinka.
Now, though, the Lakers are creating open looks. And yet, since LeBron’s return, the Lakers are shooting 33.4% on open looks, classified by NBA as the closest defender being between 4-6 feet away, which ranks in the middle of the road. On wide open 3-pointers, where the defender is further than six feet away, they are 37.4%, 10th-worst in the league.
Compare that to the Knicks, who shoot 40.8% on wide open threes (fourth in the NBA) and 35.9% on open looks (seventh) and you can see why Sunday’s game played out the way it did.
“Obviously, 3-point shooting, we couldn’t consistently make shots from the perimeter,” LeBron said. “And then extra possession. They kicked out for [threes] and knocked them down. I think that was the game right there.”
You wouldn’t fault LeBron for having that approach and mindset because, in theory, if you create open looks, they should eventually fall. Except the players on the Lakers getting those open shots aren’t shooters stuck in a slump. They’re players who aren’t shooters.
After Luka and Austin Reaves, the player with the most three-point attempts is Marcus Smart at 4.8 per contest, just one tenth of a point below his career average. He’s shooting 32.6% from range, marginally above his 32.4% career mark.
Gabe Vincent, a career 34% 3-point shooter, is shooting 37% this season, though I doubt many are clamoring for him to get more playing time. Any hope of Jarred Vanderbilt magically finding a 3-point shot is gone as his 30.3% mark this year is a tick above his career mark of 29.2%.
Jake LaRavia and Rui Hachimura are the only outliers on opposite sides. Rui has blossomed into a legit laser from range while LaRavia is having the worst season of his career from range.
Outside of that, though, these Lakers are, more or less, shooting exactly as they’d be expected to shoot based on their career. This is not an issue of the Lakers being in a slump. This is an issue of the Lakers being a team of non-shooters.
With that context in mind, many of Redick’s and LeBron’s comments ring hollow. It’s not their fault. They should believe in the team and, in theory, creating open looks is the best chance for winning.
However, this team is not one that will knock down those shots, which leaves the Lakers hoping for shooting improvements that are never going to come.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
