Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly developing a game plan that will be vastly different from the team’s approach last year.
Heading into training camp, which will start in late September, the entire Lakers team will be looking to improve its shooting percentage from beyond the arc.
Last season, the team shot a horrendous 33.3 percent from three-point range which ranked 29th in the league.
According to John Tan of the International Business Times, Davis and the Lakers seem to be unified in their focus this season. Davis was seen working on his shooting form with renowned shooting coach Chis Matthews, otherwise known for his nickname, Lethal Shooter.
“Lethal Shooter noted that he studied ‘for months’ to train Davis, and he is happy that the NBA superstar and his other clients are making progress,” Tan wrote.
Matthews himself took to Twitter recently to show off Davis’ evolving release.
Studied for months to train Anthony Davis. Making key changes that was throwing his shooting rhythm off. A lot more work to do but I love to see progress with my clients. Late nights studying are worth it. My life is DEVOTED to the player.🙏🏾 #NBA #Lakers #LethalShooter pic.twitter.com/w3HUxzl1Qa
— Lethal Shooter (@LethalShooter__) July 19, 2019
Not to be outdone, the Lakers reportedly hired shooting coach Mike Penberthy, a former Lakers player during the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant years, to refine the team’s overall shooting.
The Lakers recognized their past mistakes when they prioritized the acquisition of playmakers over shooters last season. LeBron James had been surrounded by shooters throughout his run to eight straight NBA Finals while playing in the Eastern Conference, but the organization thought otherwise when they put together a different kind of roster around the four-time MVP.
The result was a disastrous 2018-19 regular season that ended with the Lakers missing the playoffs for the sixth time this decade.
Now, the Purple and Gold have a number of capable shooters on the roster.
With Davis and the rest of the team working to further improve their shooting this offseason, James should have better complementary players around him this time around.
