Magic Johnson says Lakers won’t ‘mess’ with Lonzo Ball’s shot, compares LeBron James’ rookie hype

Lonzo Ball shooting 25 percent from deep is certainly a stat to keep an eye on if you’re a Los Angeles Lakers fan. There’s no denying that Ball’s inconsistent shooting, while attempting a team high 4.9 three-point attempts per game, have been a problem the offense is having trouble working around.

Ball’s shooting form, which has been well-documented and analyzed already, is certainly awkward. Is it hampering him, and should the Lakers consider taking his shooting mechanics into the workshop? Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson says the team has no intention of doing that this season.

“It's a fine line because what you have to do is first, he's been shooting that way his whole life. What we wanted to do is just let him play his game, let him shoot the way he's been shooting, and hopefully they'll go in.

“We're not gonna mess with it, we're gonna let him shoot and play his game. If after the season he's not shooting well, then we'll sit down with him and say hey, let's maybe look at a different way, or let's try to improve the way you are shooting,” Johnson said during a guest spot on ESPN’s Mike & Mike.

If and when the team does sit down with Ball to try and figure out what the next step is, the conversation won’t be starting at a complete overhaul.

“What is it that caused you not to shoot well? Is it your balance? Is it that you didn't release it well? We can break it down with him, but we don't want to mess with his shot. He's proven that he's knocked that shot down, and we want to encourage him to keep shooting,” Johnson said.

Magic also had an interesting observation tying back to LeBron James, but it wasn’t about Lonzo breaking his triple-double record. Instead, he compared the kind of hype and publicity both players had coming into the league.

“I think that going in, we thought that LeBron James was the biggest rookie ever, in terms of most publicized. And then here comes Lonzo Ball in terms of publicity wise, because of social media and all that.

“He was a guy with a target on his back. Because of his father, and being drafted No. 2 pick. I think he's handled it well. Of course he's not shooting the way he'd like to shoot, but I think that will come.”

There’s no doubt that Ball is getting extra attention from his fellow NBA players. Let us not forget opening night:

Is the publicity around Lonzo bigger than LeBron as a rookie? Let us vote down below to determine the truth! You can listen to the whole interview in the video while you ponder your answer: