Lonzo Ball never stopped shooting, and now it’s paying off

Lonzo Ball scored 16 points on 50 percent shooting from both the field and three-point range in the Lakers’ narrow 116-114 overtime loss to the Warriors on Monday night. After a rocky shooting start to his hyped-up rookie season, it appears the 20-year-old point guard may finally be rediscovering his stroke.

Los Angeles has lost three games in a row, but in four of his last five games, Ball has shot the ball with the efficiency of a highly touted No. 2 overall pick coming off an impressive offensive season at UCLA — an efficiency that was visibly lacking as he suffered through early shooting struggles.

Lonzo is averaging 12.2 points and shooting 46 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from three since Dec. 7. He’s hit three triples in three consecutive games. That’s a far cry from the 8.7 points per game on 31 percent from the field and 25 percent from three that he shot before then.

“He’s definitely shooting with more confidence,” head coach Luke Walton said after the game, according to Sports West 1’s Bob Garcia. “He is putting in more work. He is more comfortable with the NBA game. I think it’s natural that his shooting percentage will go up.”

Lonzo has done most things right offensively — except make shots. His poor shooting percentages have overshadowed the near triple-double of nine points, seven assists, and seven rebounds that he’s averaging on the season. He moves the ball. He makes the correct basketball play more often than not. He’s selfless, an attribute that’s been contagious on the court. And he’s been quiet, head-down working, even while his father has run his mouth off the floor.

Now it finally seems Ball has reclaimed some of the shooting efficiency he had when he shot 41.2 percent from downtown as a freshman at UCLA. It’s just as he predicted in late November.

“I’m just missing shots. I definitely like the looks I’m getting,” Ball said during an interview on ESPN LA’s Mason and Ireland Show. “Most of them are wide open, people are going under screens. I feel like they’re going to fall. Just have to keep shooting and shooting with confidence.”

NBA players do this thing when they shoot the ball and know it’s going in. They leave their hand hanging high and/or backpedal with a cocky sort-of fervor.

Here’s Kevin Durant doing it:

And here’s Klay Thompson doing it a few times, too:

Now here’s Lonzo doing it against the Warriors on Monday night:

And against the Cavaliers on Dec. 14:

And against the Knicks on Dec. 12:

And against the Hornets on Dec. 9:

Ball’s been shooting with this type of ostensible confidence all season long, but the shots are finally dropping now. He had the same look on this pull-up three in late October:

Just like he did this on this one against Brooklyn:

Ball’s confidence has never wavered. He’s just needed time to put the work in, to get comfortable in the NBA, and finally watch his jumper start to drop.

On Nov. 15, after missing all six of his three-point attempts in a loss to the 76ers — and the same night his brother was arrested for shoplifting in China — Ball hit the gym and spent time shooting the same shots he missed, according to The Orange County Register’s Bill Oram. That’s the same thing Kobe Bryant would do if he had an off game and the same thing Kyrie Irving did after shooting 4-of-13 in a loss to the Spurs last season.

Now, the fruits of Ball’s hard work are finally starting to show in the form of efficient shooting games. And if you’re a Lakers fan, it’s been long overdue.