One of the main criticisms of Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott is his supposed resistance to this new era of NBA basketball. Scott is more of an ‘old school’ coach who hasn’t been in favor of the more analytics-based style that has taken over the NBA.
Scott’s comments last season about three-pointers not winning championships made waves in the media, but he maintained that he didn’t want the Lakers shooting them, because they didn’t have a lot of shooters.
According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, that is set to change this season:
Last year, Byron said team should shoot between 12-15 3's a game. This year, he's looking for 18-25 because of improved personnel
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) October 13, 2015
Scott is right in noting that the Lakers do have more players capable of hitting from deep this season with the additions of D’Angelo Russell and Lou Williams. Jordan Clarkson has been working hard to improve his jumper this off-season and if Kobe Bryant stays healthy he gives the team another option to go along with the returning Nick Young and Ryan Kelly. Rookie Anthony Brown is another player who could be a factor in this belief.
Last season, the Lakers averaged just under 19 three-pointers attempted per game which ranked 25th in the league. With so many top teams such as Golden State, Houston, and the Clippers averaging upwards of 25 attempts, the Lakers would be hard-pressed to keep up without increasing their output.
Of course, the increased attempts won’t matter if the Lakers can’t make them. So far this preseason, the team has shot under 30 percent from deep in three out of four games, a number that must improve soon. Scott’s willingness to increase his usage of the three-point line, however, remains a promising sign.