Los Angeles Lakers: 5 biggest disappointments from 2017-18 NBA season

4. Lonzo Ball’s 3-point shooting

After shooting at a 41.2 percent clip from long range in sole season at UCLA, there were high hopes among Lakers onlookers that Ball would be able to translate his college record into the start of his pro career.

These hopes were very short-lived as Ball struggled significantly at the outset, converting at a very lowly 24.3 percent clip over the first 24 games of his career. To Ball’s credit, this percentage improved over the course of the season, featuring an 18-game stretch where the 20-year-old converted at an excellent 42.6 percent clip on 6.8 attempts per game.

However, this hot stretch was short-lived, as Ball’s shooting again plummeted in the final weeks of the season, leaving the 6’6″ point guard with a 30.5 percent return overall from 3-point range. Considering Ball led the Lakers in attempts among players that were on the roster from opening day, this was clearly cause for concern.

Just recently, the Lakers held their annual exit interviews, with Ball’s meeting with president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson, being the subject of much interest.

When queried about what was detailed in the meeting, Ball explained:

"“Shoot it with confidence for one, and just keep putting the work in. Don’t change your form or nothing. I have been shooting like that my whole life. They said they are fine with it. Just make sure I am getting the reps up. Just perfect it pretty much. If you want to be a good shooter, you got to shoot and start making them, and that will translate to the game.”"

With the backing of the front office and coaching staff alike, the stage is clearly set for Ball this summer to work on this current glaring weakness in his game. As the floor general of an emerging group, it will be fascinating to see how Ball’s perimeter game evolves over the coming seasons.