3 Things Lonzo Ball should look to improve upon in the 2021-22 NBA season

#1 Keep his free-throw shooting efficiency

Lonzo Ball with the New Orleans Pelicans.

An NBA point guard simply can't be a bad free-throw shooter, and Lonzo Ball seems to have understood that. As we've seen with Philadelphia 76ers' Ben Simmons free-throw line struggles and how the team was arguably eliminated from the NBA Playoffs due to that inability to hit free throws.

Lonzo Ball was definitely one of the most promising players in his draft class, as his college season with UCLA looked fantastic. Still, he had already shown some struggles from the free-throw line, making only 67% of his foul shots, which is not an ideal number for a point guard, especially in close games.

Throughout NBA history, it's been common to see big men struggling from the FT line, with the likes of Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain being clear examples of free-throw struggles.

However, having perimeter players shooting poorly from the free-throw line is neither common nor ideal for an NBA team, especially when that player is one of the best playmakers you have on your roster.

Lonzo Ball made 45% of his free throws during his rookie year, and followed it up with 41% in his sophomore campaign with the LA Lakers. He showed improvement across the board in his first season with the New Orleans Pelicans, but Lonzo Ball still made just 56% of his free throws in the 2019-20 NBA season.

"Lonzo Ball, you can't play in this league shooting 45% from the free-throw line, especially if you're a point guard." — @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/s4bc4zDR23

— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) January 3, 2019

Last year, Lonzo Ball turned into a solid free-throw shooter for the Pelicans, really taking a step forward by making 78% of his shots from the foul line. He needs to maintain such efficiency from the charity stripe in order to help the Chicago Bulls on their quest to return to the NBA Playoffs and to establish as an efficient point guard all-around.

---