There were mixed reactions among Lakers fans when the team signed former NBA Finals rival Rajon Rondo to a 1-year contract this offseason.
Aside from the fact that Rondo has had occasional problems in the locker room with his previous teams, he also is known throughout the league as a poor 3-point shooter. While Rondo's 3-point percentage has gotten better in the latter part of his career, opposing defenses still frequently choose to leave him open behind the arc.
Meanwhile, Lonzo Ball did not impress in his rookie season from range, shooting only 30.5 percent. Lakers fans are concerned with the fact that the team could potentially be putting two subpar shooters on the court at the same time, allowing teams to double and even triple LeBron James.
Lakers assistant coach Jesse Mermuys set out to put these worries to bed in an interview with Mike Trudell of Lakers.com. The idea is with a better shot selection strategy, the shots will start to go down.
“Offensively, what you’re trying to coach for all those guys doesn’t have to do with position or player or shooting ability. It’s more shot selection. What is a great shot for our team? What’s an OK shot to a bad shot? When you do it that way, Luke especially – and I think our staff as a whole – aren’t into limiting guys’ potential and what they can and cannot do. We want to show belief and support and confidence in our players. That means letting guys shoot it when they’re open. It’s just about the timing of the shot. Where it’s coming from. The flow. How many times we pass it. How many times we’ve been to the paint. Is the defense broken down. But every guy that’s out there has to be ready to catch and shoot and let it fly with confidence. It doesn’t matter who’s taking them, but let’s take the great shots.”
LeBron will draw more attention from defenses, giving Rondo and Ball cleaner looks from downtown. However, the numbers will have to go up to justify giving the green light to the latter two.
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