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Los Angeles Lakers: 5 key questions entering the NBA Finals

By Jacob Zinkula

MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 13: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena on December 13, 2019 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 13: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Miami Heat during the first half at American Airlines Arena on December 13, 2019 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

3-Point Shooting

As discussed, Miami takes more threes than the Lakers and is likely the better shooting team as well. Los Angeles will have to hit enough from downtown to overcome the Heat’s “math advantage.” Who can be counted on to hit shots?

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has been the Lakers’ best and most consistent shooter over the course of the postseason, while Markieff Morris and (surprisingly) Rajon Rondo have been hot lately as well. Although he’s been a bit up-and-down throughout the playoffs, Danny Green was right there with KCP as the team’s top shooter during the regular season. He has plenty of Finals experience, so it won’t be surprising if he gets it going from downtown.

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Los Angeles’ two superstars in James and Davis are both wildcards when it comes to 3-point shooting. Davis has been excelling from the mid-range, so it wouldn’t be shocking if he started hitting from a few feet further back. The farther he can stretch Adebayo from the rim the better, and knocking down some threes could be key to making this happen.

James struggled with his shot against Denver but is fully capable of getting hot from long-range. Like the Nuggets, Miami will probably encourage James to take jumpers. As discussed, James can still find ways to get to the basket, but hitting a few threes (and making defenders crowd him more) could make this much easier.

Davis’ Mid-Range Shooting

As alluded to, Davis has been excelling at mid-range jumpers throughout most of the postseason. His 17-of-25 (68.0 percent) mid-range performance against Portland felt like an anomaly, and he predictably came back to earth with an 11-of-31 (35.5 percent) showing against Houston. He got hot again from the mid-range against Denver, however, hitting 16-of-31 (51.6 percent). He’s now shooting 51.6 percent on mid-range shots during the playoffs, and although this is significantly better than 34.9 percent he hit in the regular season, this improvement feels real and largely sustainable (at least for the next four-to-seven games).

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