The 2017-18 Los Angeles Lakers will not be remembered as a team that shot the ball particularly well. Yet they managed to set a franchise record by making 822 3-pointers this season.
The all-time franchise mark was previously held by the 2013-14 team that knocked down 774 3-pointers. Despite making Lakers history, the team still finished toward the bottom when compared to the league, ranking 20th overall.
Moreover, the Lakers’ 34.5 percent shooting from deep was the second-worst clip in the NBA during the season. Though, Josh Hart (39.6 percent), Brandon Ingram (39 percent), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (38.3 percent) and Kyle Kuzma (36.6 percent) are regular rotation players who shot better than the team’s average.
Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma tied for the team lead in average (2.1 per game) and total (159) 3-pointers made. They were followed by Brook Lopez (112 3-pointers), with Lonzo Ball (90) and Hart (78) rounding out the top five.
En route to tying for most threes made by a Lakers player this season, Kuzma broke the franchise rookie record that was held by D’Angelo Russell, who made 130 shots from beyond the arc during the 2015-16 NBA season.
“It’s pretty special. Any time you have any type of record in any record book, especially with the Lakers, it’s pretty special,” Kuzma said at the time of breaking the record. “It’s also pretty cool just from the simple fact that everybody said pre-draft that I couldn’t shoot. Pretty funny, huh? How that works.”
As for Hart, his proficiency led to talk of being a effective 3-and-D player. Though, Hart and Lakers head coach Luke Walton said that was not an apt descriptor because of the guard’s ability to do much more on the court.
And despite holding the franchise record, the Lakers presumably will use the summer to address their shooting, as it was an area of weakness throughout the season.
| Player | 3-pointers made | 3-pointers attempted | 3-point percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentavious Caldwell-Pope | 159 | 434 | 38.3% |
| Kyle Kuzma | 159 | 415 | 36.6% |
| Brook Lopez | 112 | 325 | 34.5% |
| Lonzo Ball | 90 | 295 | 30.5% |
| Josh Hart | 78 | 197 | 39.6% |
| Jordan Clarkson | 68 | 210 | 32.4% |
| Brandon Ingram | 41 | 105 | 39% |
| Isaiah Thomas | 33 | 101 | 32.7% |
| Travis Wear | 17 | 47 | 36.2% |
| Tyler Ennis | 14 | 56 | 25% |
| Alex Caruso | 13 | 43 | 30.2% |
| Julius Randle | 10 | 45 | 22.2% |
| Channing Frye | 9 | 25 | 36% |
| Corey Brewer | 8 | 43 | 18.6% |
| Andre Ingram | 5 | 9 | 55.6% |
| Gary Payton III | 4 | 13 | 30.8% |
| Larry Nance Jr. | 1 | 4 | 25% |
| Thomas Bryant | 1 | 10 | 10% |