Lonzo Ball can’t make a shot. How much should Lakers fans be worried?

Lonzo Ball can’t buy a bucket. The highly touted rookie out of UCLA just hasn’t been able to put points on the board early into his Lakers career.

As of Nov. 8, Ball is shooting 34.4 percent in the paint — the worst in the NBA — and a league second-worst 25 percent outside the lane. In total, he’s at 29.5 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from downtown. According to Basketball-Reference, he currently has the worst field goal percentage of any player ever to attempt at least 10 shots per game.

If you ask Lonzo, the issue isn’t whether he can actually shoot the ball. In fact, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman asked him that very question:

“It’s in my head to be honest,” Ball said. “I know I can shoot the ball.”

Ball opened the season with Patrick Beverley hounding him the full 94 feet of the court. Then he endured John Wall’s “no mercy” game, while each NBA point guard has given him their best shot. Call it a byproduct of all his father’s yapping to date.

That’s probably why Lonzo is getting his shots blocked more than almost every other player in the league. Ball’s been rejected on layups 12 times already this season, according to Second Spectrum. He’s not running into blocks, either, so that means guys are going out of their way to swat him.

It also means he should probably use his terrific drive-and-kick game more often.

Regardless, that type of relentless pursuit on defense could wear down the most seasoned veteran. With all the hype surrounding him, it’s easy to forget Ball is only 19 years old.

Unlike Markelle Fultz, who has struggled shooting the ball after a shoulder injury forced (or caused) him to change his form, Ball has shot the ball the same way for years. So it’s surprising to see how awful some of his misses from distance have been.

Ball missed all three of his triples in Los Angeles’ win over Brooklyn, including an airball on the game’s first shot attempt.

Some of his shots are just missing, especially from the top of the key.

At UCLA, he shot side-step and step-back three-pointers with regularity. In all, he shot the trey ball at a 41.2 percent clip as a college freshman.

But those are the same shots he’s taking and missing in the NBA. Even though the professional three-point line is deeper than the collegiate one, Ball made a habit of launching threes from well beyond the arc with the Bruins.

Conversely, Ball has found more success in transition, attacking downhill with a full head of steam against defenses that haven’t had a chance to set up yet. He’s shooting 36.4 percent on fast break possessions. That’s not good, but it’s light years better than his percentages on twos and threes overall.

Even with his better percentage in transition, Ball’s inability to score the basketball has probably given Lakers fans pause.

When the Lakers drafted Lonzo Ball No. 2 overall, they didn’t get him for his all-world scoring ability. If that’s what they wanted, they would have picked Fultz, or, even better, Jayson Tatum to pair with Brandon Ingram.

But team president Magic Johnson said exactly what he wanted: a leader. And even though Ball can’t get his shot to drop, he’s still leading Los Angeles to potentially its best season since 2013.

You may not agree with the Ball-Jason Kidd comparison, but something there rings true: Kidd didn’t get off to the hottest start in his career. Neither did Steve Nash.

Instead, they took time to naturally progress into perennial All-Stars and eventually earn their places among the Mt. Rushmore of NBA point guards. Ball’s play style may be different, but his career may not be.

Even though Ball can’t get a shot to drop, he can make a positive influence on the game.

Lonzo was 3-of-13 from the field and 1-of-8 from downtown against Memphis, but the Lakers still outscored Memphis by 10 when he was on the floor. He was 3 of 15 against Brooklyn, but still finished plus-22 in a 12-point win. When he had zero points on only two shot attempts against Portland, Ball was still a team-high plus-10 in a three-point loss.

Ball will keep shooting, and eventually (hopefully!) those shots will drop. Once that happens, there’s no telling what it will open up for the rest of his game. He’s made shots consistently before, so he should be able to do so again.