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Imago

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Imago

It is really difficult to understand the Los Angeles Lakers. They claimed a win over the Timberwolves early in the season. Since that point, the Purple and Gold can’t seem to figure things out. Even the Kings, who have 30 losses this season, managed to get the better of them. And with that, JJ Redick is seeing the growth of another alarming trend.

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The root of the Lakers’ struggles at first was their defense. They were allowing teams to rout their measly effort. That’s changed, but not without another problem replacing it. The Lakers can’t seem to make their threes. Tonight was their worst display in terms of exchange. The Lakers shot below 20% from beyond the arc, while the Kings made 17 threes.

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Their conversion rate has officially led to the Lakers ranking last in three-point percentage for the season. That’s because none of their rotation players have managed to be consistent shooters. Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves, two of their marksmen, are recovering from injuries. Luka Doncic takes shots in volume, but has yet to hit high efficiency.

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What’s clear is that the Lakers need help. Over their last seven games, the Lakers rank 25th in three-pointers made with 76. What makes it worse is that they account for just 29.9% of the total threes taken by the Lakers in that span.

So, who is to blame for this error? JJ Redick has managed to create a system that creates opportunities. But the Lakers lack the personnel that offer perimeter expertise. Rumors suggest the team is looking to add typical 3-and-D players through the market. The prospect of doing so successfully seems low.

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To make matters worse, their head coach is starting to lose patience.

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JJ Redick can’t get over the Lakers’ shooting woes

As the head coach, Redick went through the hard times. When the defense offered holes, he called for a meeting of accountability. It’s safe to say the Lakers’ defensive integrity has improved since that point. Their three-point shooting never ranked high either way. With AR15 out, their shot creation suffered too.

But against the Kings, that wasn’t the case. The Lakers head coach almost couldn’t believe the numbers he was staring at.

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“We can’t make a shot. If you look at it, first of all, [the Kings] are right there with us as far as being the worst shooting teams in the league. That was tied with Houston for the highest anyone has shot all season, so that’s typical. We were 28th before tonight in opponent 3-point percentage and we’ll be 29th or 30th after tonight. We had 50 potential assists tonight, we converted on 21 of those. Expected score we won by 24. This has been the theme,” he said.

The Lakers managed to create great looks. Eight different players shot multiple three-pointers. Only half of them managed to really make a shot. In terms of the system and creating opportunities, the Lakers are executing well. But if they don’t finish these chances, beating teams like the Kings will also be difficult.

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The return of Hachimura and, after that, Austin Reaves should help bring some organization. As of now, the team needs to endure this stretch because they don’t have consistent shooters on their side.

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