What We Know About Jake LaRavia's Lakers Shooting Turnaround

Jake LaRavia's three-point shooting has improved in Los Angeles Lakers preseason play after a documented slump closed out his first season with the team, according to reporting by the New York Post. The 24-year-old forward has attributed the change to an offseason built around journaling, what he called "mental reflection," and reworked shooting mechanics, the outlet reported.

What happened to LaRavia's shooting last season?

LaRavia played a career-high 82 regular-season games in 2025-26, one of 18 players leaguewide to appear in every game, and started 43 of them, the New York Post reported. His minutes climbed to 2,061 for the season, nearly matching the 2,569 minutes he had logged across his previous four NBA seasons combined, according to the outlet.

The role expanded in the first half of the season, but his perimeter shooting did not hold. Over the final 23 regular-season games, LaRavia shot 26.2% from three-point range, the New York Post reported. His playing time fell in the playoffs; he received two DNP-CDs — did not play, coach's decision — in the Lakers' final two games of a second-round sweep loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, per the outlet.

What did LaRavia change over the offseason?

LaRavia described the offseason as an exercise in self-assessment rather than a single technical fix. "This summer was a summer [of] reflection and intentionality for me," he told the New York Post. "The second half of the season last season was not the way that I intended it to go. You hit mental lapses in the season. I hit a mental lapse last season and I wasn't able to shake back from it."

He said the work included daily journaling and a focus on shot consistency specifically, distinct from the defense and rebounding he said he never stopped supplying. "Consistency with the shooting was a very big thing for me," he said, according to the outlet.

How much can preseason numbers actually tell us?

The New York Post reported that LaRavia has looked "one of the more consistent" shooters for the Lakers in preseason play, but the story does not publish a preseason shooting percentage or sample size, and no other outlet in the available reporting corroborates a specific figure. Preseason performance is a narrow data window — four to six games League-wide, played against rotating lineups and often reduced defensive intensity — and front offices and coaching staffs typically treat it as directional rather than predictive.

The contract terms are known: LaRavia signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Lakers before the 2025-26 season, a deal the New York Post described as looking "like a steal" during his strong first half. Whether the offseason changes hold once regular-season minutes and playoff-caliber defense return is not something the available reporting can establish.

What do the numbers show so far?

• 82: regular-season games played by LaRavia in 2025-26, a career high, per the New York Post.
• 2,061: minutes logged last season, compared with 2,569 minutes across his four prior NBA seasons combined, the outlet reported.
• 26.2%: three-point shooting percentage over his final 23 regular-season games, according to the New York Post.
• 2: DNP-CDs in the Lakers' final two playoff games, both in a second-round sweep loss to Oklahoma City.
• $12 million: value of LaRavia's two-year contract with the Lakers, signed in the 2025 offseason.

What should fans watch for once the regular season starts?

• Whether LaRavia's three-point percentage in real games approaches his early-season 2025-26 form rather than his late-season 26.2% mark.
• How Lakers coaching staff allocates his minutes once playoff-level defensive schemes return, given the drop in playing time he saw last postseason.
• Whether his reworked jump shot holds up against primary, game-planned defense rather than preseason rotations.
• Any public comment from Lakers coaching staff on his role, which has not appeared in the available reporting.

The original reporting is available from the New York Post.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.