Shooting has become a premium on a Lakers roster deprived of floor spacers
Swapping superstars (Davis for Doncic) improves LA's shooting on paper. Pencil in Markieff Morris and Kleber (despite this season's shooting slump), and Los Angeles has acquired several floor spacers.
However, trading away Christie left a void in the Lakers' backcourt, with one of the team's top shooters departing. As currently constructed, LA covets just two shooters over 40 percent from three, Hachimura and Morris (who has played in just three games with the Lakers post-Luka trade).
The Lakers rank sixteenth among all teams in three-point percentage average (35.5 percent). With that being said, the skepticism of LA's shooting should remain for the rest of the season. In 2024-25, the league average from three is 35.8 percent, a clip the Lakers fall just below.
Shooting is an area of improvement for this Lakers team, but the recent acquisitions could spark an uptick in shooting efficiency. That, combined with Luka's potent playmaking skills, will generate easier looks for LA.