Magic Johnson told the LA Times that “if I don’t see another 3-pointer from a Laker team, I’ll be happy.” It was yet another parting shot at his nemesis Mike D’Antoni, the 3-point crazy coach who just parted ways with the Lakers after some rough going. Now Magic’s old pal and backcourt mate Byron Scott is the Lakers new head coach. Magic apparently wants the Lakers to go back to 1985 and kick it down low to Kareem. But you can’t go home again, or even back to Inglewood. Besides, the last time Magic made the finals as a player on the Lakers, in 1991, he led the team in 3-point attempts. You know who was second? Byron Scott.
So Magic may not get his wish about no 3-pointers. He better hope he doesn’t. 3-pointers accounted for 25.9 percent of all shot attempts in the NBA last year–it wasn’t just Mike D’Antoni telling guys to jack it up. In the new NBA style, with spreading the floor increasingly critical, the 3-pointer is absolutely essential for success. Last year, according to hoops writer John Schuhmann: “Ten of the top 15 offenses in the league were above average in terms of 3-point percentage and the percentage of their total shots that were threes.” If the 2014-15 Lakers don’t loft enough 3s, Magic is going to be awfully disappointed.
