With the additions of established shooters like Wayne Ellington and Carmelo Anthony, accompanied by up-and-coming marksmen in Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk, the Lakers will have a total of seven players on their upcoming roster that ranked in the 80th percentile or better in Bball-Index’s 3-point shot-making database.
The team not only finished 20th in terms of their 3-point conversion rate this season but maintained what is now a seven-year trend of finishing in the bottom 10 of the league, a dire mark given this era’s gravitational pull outward.įortunately for fans who dread the “ Laker curse” that is often cast on their shooters, there should be optimism that the hex may finally be broken by the hands of their recent free-agent signees. In terms of where the improvements on offense will be felt most, shooting and playmaking will likely be the areas with the most room for refinement.īeyond external factors like injuries, acclimating to a new roster and a shortened offseason, one of the most hindering on-court ailments for the Lakers this past year was once again their perimeter shooting. Malik Monk says he ‘can’t explain’ how excited he is to learn from Russell Westbrook with Lakers Yet, when looking at the names and skillsets Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office added this summer, it is abundantly clear that the process of turning that wart into a beauty mark was their chief priority. The sole exception being their most recent championship-winning campaign. And when compounding matters, they have not finished better than 23rd in seven of their last eight seasons. This could be exemplified no further than the fact that the club has finished in the top-10 in offensive rating only twice in the last decade according to Cleaning the Glass.
All the while, their offense continued to be a disconcerting wart that reappeared annually, most recently again this past season. Only a year removed from winning the championship, it was the Lakers’ defense that was ultimately their backbone and security blanket. Amongst the new - and familiar - faces the team signed, a distinct skew toward offense is something simply out of the ordinary for the franchise. When the Lakers take the floor on opening night this upcoming season, they will not only look different, they will feel different.īehind a flurry of offseason moves that saw eight new players added ( so far) and headlined by the acquisition of Russell Westbrook, the team not only reconstructed their roster but also their identity.
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