There were many things about Lonzo Ball that caught the eyes of fans when he made his debut for the Chicago Bulls. Whether it was his father, LaVar, singing his praises all over TV, or the fact that he and his brothers were making mockeries of nationally ranked basketball programs, fans were excited to see Zo make it to the NBA. Among Lonzo’s other selling points, his shooting form was widely regarded as ugly, even though it produced results for him.
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On his What an Experience podcast, Ball claimed that even though his style was unorthodox, he had worked on it for so long that it didn’t really matter how weird it looked. He was happy as long as he stayed productive on the floor.
College coaches tried to influence a change in his shooting style, too, but a preseason Australia tour showed that Lonzo simply could not hit a shot unless he used his old form. In the podcast, he claimed he developed from watching Kevin Durant play in college.
About his style, which had him pulling his shots all the way from the left side of his face, Ball said, “Bruh, I swear, I started watching KD, bro, at Texas. And like he was bringing that b**** up, and my s*** got hella far, but that was what really started.”
The 2017 NCAA Freshman of the Year credited Fred Vinson for the changes to his jumper and called him the best shooting coach he ever had. The two worked together in New Orleans, and the improvements were clear. After leaving the Pelicans for the Bulls, with all of Vinson’s help, Zo shot a career-best 42.3% from three in the 2021-22 season.
“I mean my s*** got changed because of Fred Vinson, Shoutout to Fred man, best shooting coach I ever had man, for sure,” Lonzo said. However, after entering the NBA and training with shooting coaches, the UCLA alum slowly ‘fixed’ his jumper, and we got to see a more orthodox, slightly more aesthetically pleasing shot from him.
Unfortunately, his efficiency dropped from 41% in his sole season at UCLA to 36% over his career in the NBA. Now, obviously, the drop can be attributed to the lack of easier shots at the professional level, and what Zo also said was a lack of confidence. “But I don’t think it was nothing about my shot, it was more like confidence, I felt like, you know?” he said.
After missing two years due to lingering and recurring knee injuries, Zo finally returned to action with the Bulls last year. Following a summer trade, he will now suit up for the Cleveland Cavaliers, hoping his presence can provide the extra boost they need to reach the Finals for the first time since 2018.
