Lonzo Ball is the Most Improved Player in the NBA this season

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 04: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Chicago Bulls celebrates after hitting a three pointer late in the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on December 04, 2021 in New York City. 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 Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 03: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Chicago Bulls during the game against the Orlando Magic at United Center on January 03, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. 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 Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /

Why Lonzo Ball is the Most Improved Player: Reliable outside shooter

Lonzo Ball and his brothers LiAngelo and LaMelo were still high school YouTube sensations when the 2015 Golden State Warriors changed the NBA forever. That season, the sharp-shooting backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson led the team to an NBA championship with an offense that heavily relied on spacing and three-point shooting. The league hasn’t been the same since.

When Ball was a rookie for the Los Angeles Lakers, the most heavily repeated criticisms about him was that he was not a knockdown shooter. In the modern NBA, guards have to be able to catch and shoot.

Big men are being double-teamed faster than ever; when they kick the ball back outside the paint to an open shooter, the perimeter player must be able to make the defense pay for taking a gamble. When Lonzo was young opposing teams felt comfortable letting him shoot the open jump shot. That is not the case anymore.

This season, he is shooting a career-best 41.6 percent from beyond the arc. Generally, anything above 40 percent is considered exceptional; Ball is on pace to surpass that mark.

The primary offensive options for the Bulls are Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vučević. However, the supporting cast must be ready to knock down shots when defenses collapse on the team’s Big Three. So far this season, Ball has more than held up his end of the bargain.

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