The Lakers continue to add to Frank Vogel’s coaching staff, with the hire of Mike Penberthy. First reported by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the Lakers are hiring Penberthy as their shooting coach for the upcoming season. Penberthy is another former Pelican to join Los Angeles for the upcoming season.
He spent the 2018-2019 season in New Orleans under the same role for a team that shot 34.4% from beyond the arc. The Lakers were ranked 29th in that regard (33%).
Wesley Johnson and Julius Randle both had career high marks from the 3 point line with New Orleans. Johnson is a smaller sample size as he only shot 1.9 attempts in 26 games (38%). Randle shot 34.4% on 2.7 attempts in 73 games (would’ve been better 4th best on the Lakers last year). One has to wonder if Penberthy worked with Randle throughout his year there. Anthony Davis shot 33% from 3, for reference.
The Central California native may be a familiar name for older Laker fans, as he was on 2001 NBA Championship team averaging 4.9 points and 1.3 assists. Penberthy was formerly dubbed “The Shot Whisperer” during his time as a coach in Minessota (2014-2015). He became a private shooting coach for players like Paul George and Khris Middleton prior to joining New Orleans.
It’s no secret that the Lakers have been prioritizing shooting and Penberthy can only help improve that facet.
