Magic Johnson Says Lakers Won't 'Mess' with Lonzo Ball's Shot Until After Season

Despite Lonzo Ball's early shooting struggles, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be patient before possibly tinkering with the rookie point guard's stroke.

"We're not gonna mess with it," team president Magic Johnson said on ESPN's Mike and Mike (h/t William Lou of the Score). "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.'"

Ball has stuffed the stat sheet in his 14 appearances to date, as he's averaging 9.5 points, 7.2 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game and recently became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double. However, he is currently making just 31.3 percent of his shots from the field.

After drilling 41.2 percent of his three-point attempts last year at UCLA, Ball is also only shooting 25 percent from deep in the NBA. 

TNT analyst Charles Barkley recently called out the rookie's shooting form, noting he is only "half a player" because he can't shoot going right:

Ball's unique form features a low release from the left side of his body, but Johnson will not make any rash changes because "he's been shooting that way his whole life."

The point guard believes the early problems are just mental.

"It's just in my head, to be honest," Ball said last week, per Kyle Hightower of the Chicago Tribune. "I know I can shoot the ball."

After the controversy surrounding the altered shooting form of Philadelphia 76ers rookie Markelle Fultz, the Lakers might be better off letting Ball try to shoot his way out of his slump.