Here’s another truth bomb that demonstrates just how hard Los Angeles Lakers rookie guard Lonzo Ball is struggling with his shooting this season: he’s shooting worse from the free throw line than Boston Celtics rookie forward Jayson Tatum is from the three-point line. Ouch.
Let the creative guys over at NBC Boston help you digest that with this brief animated clip:
The numbers are in and Jayson Tatum is better at shooting threes than Lonzo Ball is at shooting … free throws🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/MNSYFf5W5l
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 5, 2017
Tatum wrested the league’s best three-point shooting percentage mark among qualified players last Monday during a 111-100 win at home over the Milwaukee Bucks in which the former Duke Blue Devil went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. He’s now hit at least a three-pointer in each of Boston’s last seven games, going 16-for-26 from deep for an incredible 61.5 percent clip during that stretch.
To be fair with Ball, however, he’s not taking that many shots from the charity stripe, hence his slightly skewed free throw percentage. Ball is making just 0.7 free throws on 1.4 foul shot attempts per game.
Article Continues BelowStill, it’s still not a good look for him to miss half his freebies this season, and it only adds more material for his detractors to use in mocking him.
Tatum isn’t going to be this hot from long range for the entire season. His three-point percentage will regress sooner than later, but can Ball shoot better from the field and from the free throw line anytime soon, too?
While Tatum is making 51.1 percent of his shots from the field, Ball is only successful on 31.3 percent of his attempts.
Care to explain this one, LaVar?