Lonzo Ball is doing almost everything you would want for your rookie point guard. He passes, rebounds and defends. Despite averaging seven assists, seven rebounds, one steal, and a block per game, Ball still struggles to find his shot.
Ball’s shot is unorthodox, and the results have not been encouraging. He is shooting 32 percent from the field and only 25 percent from beyond the arch. His free throw shooting is even uglier at just 48 percent.
Yes, Ball’s shot is not pretty, but there is still hope that he can become a decent shooter in the NBA with practice and some slight adjustments to his release, like former Sacramento Kings player Kevin Martin, who shot well in the NBA with his unorthodox release, too.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times. Martin would be willing to work with Ball during the offseason to make slight adjustments to his shot if Ball decides to reach out to Martin.
In a phone interview with Stein, Martin says he sees himself in Ball shooting form:
“People were telling me, this kid shoots just like you. And I was like, ‘There’s no way somebody else shoots like me.’ I never thought my form would come to the surface again in basketball history. Then I saw him and said, ‘We have the exact same starting point and end point.’ It’s crazy.”
Kevin Martin is a close friend of Laker forward Corey Brewer, who passed along Ball’s information to Martin.
Martin’s shot is not the prettiest, but he had tremendous results over his long NBA career. Martin shot only 38 percent from the field and 20 percent from deep during his rookie season. After slightly refining his shot to accommodate the NBA defenses, Martin increased his shooting the following season, shooting 48 percent from the field and 36 percent from beyond the arch. For his career, Martin shot 44 percent from the field and 38 percent from the three-point line.
“Lonzo’s shot is exactly how mine was through my freshman year of college — exactly,” Martin said. “The N.B.A. is a faster game, so I knew I had to tweak it just a little. Just moving the ball to the right a little bit, away from my face on the release, helped tremendously.”
Martin reiterated in the interview that he does not want to change or work on Ball’s shot until after the NBA season is complete. Martin wants Ball to be free of any distractions from the regular season.
Martin seems like the perfect person to have some meaningful input on Ball’s shot. Hopefully, the two of them can meet up work together during the summer.
