Los Angeles Lakers: Three bold predictions for Josh Hart next season
By Jason Reed
2. Josh Hart will be the Los Angeles Lakers’ leading three-point shooter
Although Kentavious Caldwell-Pope will be in the starting lineup due to his three and D capabilities, it will be Josh Hart that leads the entire Los Angeles Lakers in three-point shooting next season. He may have some competition in rookies Moritz Wagner and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, however, they will not get enough playing time to really be considered the best from downtown.
Hart led the team in three-point shooting last season by shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc. The only person that had a better three-point percentage was Andre Ingram, who shot 55.6 percent from beyond the arc, but only played two games.
What Hart shot last season may not be good enough to repeat as the best, though. Brandon Ingram is going to shoot better alongside LeBron, as it Kyle Kuzma and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
However, I think we will see Hart’s three-point percentage rise to the 42-43 range, cementing himself as the best shooter on the Lakers. That was what he excelled at during his tenure with Villanova. People are yet to see how good Hart can be from beyond the arc.
This will be huge for the Lakers, who have been criticized for not adding shooters around LeBron. The team really did not need to add any shooters with Hart and company, who will show the league that they can shoot the three.