Los Angeles Lakers: A deeper look at Lonzo Ball’s offensive woes

Lonzo’s shooting mechanics

So it’s no secret that with a stat line of 8.9 points per game on 31.3 percent shooting, 22.8 percent from 3, and only 46.2 percent from the charity stripe that offense is an issue. His lack of aggression has already been mentioned on the previous slide, but the one thing that Lonzo has been heavily criticized for is his shooting motion.

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While his shot may have worked in college, he is among men now in the NBA. The NBA is a league of adjustments. Without the ability to adapt, many players find themselves out of the league quickly. After a month or so of play, it is obvious something needs to be fixed.

Now, his set point in the middle of a shot is not bad. In fact, the set point of his shot matches the likes of Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and Kyrie Irving. What separates Lonzo from those guys is that at his set point, the ball is not in front of his face. Rather, it is to the left. Why does this matter? The issue with the left to right motion is that the ball doesn’t generate enough power and lacks the ability to be consistently straight.

Where this issue becomes evident is at the free throw line. Since his shot doesn’t come off straight, it increases the chance of it missing on the side of the basket. That is a big reason why his free throw percentage is poor for a point guard. For an example, here is footage of Lonzo missing two free throws during opening week against the Clippers.

With some minor adjustments, Lonzo’s offensive game could see some improvement. But there is one more part to his offensive woes.