Jake LaRavia is absolutely lights out from beyond the arc through three preseason outings, draining 6-of-11 three-pointers for a ridiculous 54.6%. Yeah, it’s a small sample, but the willingness to let it fly? That’s what’s got everyone buzzing. He’s chucking up 5.9 threes per 36 minutes, which is a big jump from last preseason’s 3.8 and even more than the 4.2 he attempted during last regular season. Remember how in the playoffs his playing time disappeared and his shot basically cratered, only averaging 2.2 attempts per 36? This? This is a whole different player.
The Confidence Is Back (And You Can See It)
Lakers head coach JJ Redick is definitely noticing the change, telling reporters after Thursday’s game against the Sacramento Kings that Jake’s got that belief a shooter needs. Redick said, “I think Jake had a like a really nice base and foundation to shoot with. So it wasn’t like he was completely revamping his shot on those small tweaks. Ultimately, the tweaks don’t matter if they don’t give you confidence. I feel like he’s shooting the ball with a lot of confidence right now and he feels confident in the shot. [He had] a great summer shooting the ball, has had a great training camp of practices shooting the ball and that’s carried over to games.” That’s huge, because we all saw what happened last postseason. His outside shot just abandoned him, and it messed with his whole offensive game. He was shooting 35.3% from deep through January 15th, but then he only hit 27.9% of his threes over the final 43 regular-season games, and it was just 2-of-7 (28.6%) in the playoffs. Oof.
From “I’m Going to Get In the Gym” to Game Ready
Teammate Austin Reaves backed it up, saying after the Kings game, “I think the response has been great. Obviously, he’s played really good so far. He was big for what we wanted to do last year.” Reaves even shared a cool moment: “I think he has spoken about it, not shooting the ball the way he knows he can and wants to. But he told me, I think it was one of the last games of the regular season, we were just [having a] casual conversation and he just told me he was like, I’m going to get the in the gym. I’m going to be one of the best shooters on this team.” Before that cold spell took over, LaRavia was a serious contributor with his defense, floor-spacing, quick decision-making, and offensive rebounding. That deep-ball drought just threw a wrench into everything. Now, after a summer of thinking things over, he’s shifted his mindset. He’s not stressing about every single shot going in, instead focusing on what he can control to be the absolute best version of himself. And it’s showing!
If this newfound confidence and revamped jumper can truly stick, Jake LaRavia could be an absolute game-changer for the Lakers’ early season. The regular season is right around the corner, and you know everyone’s gonna be watching to see if this preseason spark turns into a real flame.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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