Lakers coach Byron Scott, of all people, endorses 4-point line

Lakers coach Byron Scott infamously said 3-pointers didn’t win championships.

Perhaps, the Warriors sent him in the opposite direction.

Scott, via Bill Oram of The Orange County Register:

“I think the 3-point line is exciting,” he said. “I would add another line and make a 4-point line as well. I’d say let’s go another three or four feet back and that’s a 4-pointer.”

It’s surprising to see Scott endorse a 4-pointer, but I didn’t expect Phil Jackson to do so, and the Knicks president did. Maybe there’s just something about coaching the Lakers that opens people to 4-pointers.

The NBA surely won’t implement a 4-point arc any time soon, though there has been talk.

More immediately, Scott addressed the long-range shot available to his players. Scott on 3-pointers, via Oram:

“We’re going to shoot 18 to 25 a night,” Scott said. “We’ve got guys that can shoot it.”

Despite Scott’s stated plan to shoot far fewer, the Lakers attempted 19 3s per game last season – 25th in the league. Shooting 25 per game from beyond the arc would probably get them a little above average.

That doesn’t sound so bad for a team that features Kobe Bryant, Lou Williams, Nick Young, Ryan Kelley, Michael Frazier, D’Angelo Russell and Anthony Brown. The Lakers have shooters. They should take advantage.

Maybe Scott is evolving?