Magic Johnson on why he won’t ask Lonzo Ball to change his shot
Los Angeles Lakers draft pick Lonzo Ball, right, and Magic Johnson smile as they answer questions during the NBA basketball team’s news conference, Friday, June 23, 2017, in El Segundo, California. AP/Jae C. Hong
Lonzo Ball attributes his early shooting woes as a psychological issue and it looks like Los Angeles Lakers President of Basketball Operations Earvin “Magic” Johnson agrees with him.
READ: Lonzo Ball says ongoing shooting issues ‘just in my head’
Although he recently became the youngest player to post a triple-double, the 20-year-old point guard currently averages a horrid 31 percent field goal shooting based on his past 10 games.
Appearing on the talk show Mike & Mike, the Laker legend-turned-executive shared why he has no intentions of asking his playmaker to change his peculiar shooting form.
“We can break it down with him, but we don’t want to mess with his shot. He’s proven that he’s knocked that shot down. And we want to encourage him to keep shooting,” Magic said, as relayed by USA Today.
“I think it’s a fine line because what you have to do is first, he’s been shooting that way his whole life. So what we wanted to do is let him play his game,” Magic added.
But if his struggles continue throughout the season, Johnson said he might change his tone and help Ball become a more consistent shooter come next year.
“Let him shoot the way he’s been shooting and hopefully they’ll go in. And so, we’re not gonna mess with it. We’re gonna let him shoot and play his game,” he stressed.
“ If after the season, and he’s not shooting well, then we’ll sit down with him and say, ‘Hey, let’s maybe look at different way or let’s try to improve the way you are shooting.’” Khristian Ibarrola /ra
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