In a bold and decisive move, Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham is unwavering in his determination to transform Anthony Davis into a formidable 3-point threat for the upcoming season. "I want him to aim for six 3-point attempts a game, or at least three per half. I know it might sound ambitious, but maybe he'll surprise us," Ham declared during a recent practice session. "I wouldn't place this expectation on him if I didn't firmly believe he has the potential." Thus far, Anthony Davis seems to be heeding his coach's call, displaying a newfound proficiency from beyond the arc during the Lakers' two preseason matchups against the Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets. In those games, he connected on 3 of 6 three-point attempts in a total of 27 minutes on the court. This represents a substantial increase in Davis's 3-point shooting, especially when compared to his meager 1.3 attempts per game from the previous season. The highest average he's ever achieved in a season was 3.5 attempts back in 2019-20, his inaugural season with the Lakers. For context, last season, All-Star guards Darius Garland and Devin Booker each averaged a remarkable 6.0 three-point attempts per game. Among players who predominantly occupy power forward or center positions and consistently launch at least that many threes were Julius Randle (8.3) and Lauri Markkanen (7.7). During the offseason, Anthony Davis dedicated substantial time to honing his outside shot in collaboration with Lakers assistant coach Chris Jent. This intensive training follows Davis's modest 25.7% 3-point shooting performance in the 2022-23 regular season, which improved to 33.3% during the playoffs. "When asked about his progress on the outside shot during the Lakers' annual media day last week, Davis explained, "I'm focused on becoming a threat at all three levels. It's challenging to gauge my progress until we engage in practices and games. Shooting in controlled workout settings is one thing; performing under the pressure of live competition is another." A more consistent jump shot is a welcome prospect for Davis, who has grappled with inconsistency in long-range shooting since the Lakers' championship-winning campaign in the bubble in 2020. During that memorable postseason run, Davis maintained an impressive effective field goal percentage of 53 on 162 jump shots, surpassing the league's playoff average for the same year. However, since that outstanding performance, Davis's effectiveness in jump shooting has plummeted, boasting an underwhelming 38% effective field goal percentage in both regular season and playoff play. This places him at the very bottom of a list comprising 245 players with a minimum of 500 jump shot attempts over the past three seasons, as per ESPN Stats & Information. The consequences of Davis's struggles from the outside have been reflected in the Lakers' overall performance, with the team ranking poorly in 3-point shooting percentage in recent seasons. Over the course of two preseason games, the Lakers have shown improvement as a team in their 3-point shooting, connecting on 35 of 93 attempts for an impressive 37.6%. Davis himself remains positive about the shift towards a greater emphasis on 3-point shooting. "We've been emphasizing taking more 3s, which aligns with the league's evolving style of play that heavily emphasizes three-pointers," he shared with reporters following the game against the Brooklyn Nets. "But we're not forcing it; all our shots came within the flow of the game. We just want to be confident in our shooting and let it fly." Coach Ham intends to persist in motivating Anthony Davis to unleash his 3-point prowess when the regular season commences on October 24 against the reigning champions, the Denver Nuggets. "Anthony has worked diligently on becoming a more consistent shooter, particularly from long range. The key is to shoot without hesitation, without overthinking it. If he has a good look, we've all encouraged him to take the shot," Ham affirmed with unwavering faith in his star player's potential.