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Current (but perhaps not for long?) Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard Russell Westbrook, in an apparent concession to the reality of his offensive limitations, is making a change to his shooting stroke.

According to a new report from Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the 6'3" vet has made an adjustment to his shooting during the 2022 offseason. Sources inform The Athletic trio that Westbrook's catch-and-shoot three-point conversion rate has improved in team scrimmages and practices.

Time will tell how well this new-look Westbrook shooting form can translate to an improved stroke in game situations. He attempted zero three-pointers during his 14:41 minutes on the court (all in the first half since, you know, it was preseason) in the L.A.'s 105-75 preseason loss to the Sacramento Kings.

The 33-year-old Westbrook, a former nine-time All-Star, had a rough debut season with his hometown franchise, especially from long range. From deep, he made just 29.8% of his 3.4 triple attempts a night. Brodie is a career 30.5% shooter from deep, and has had just one "solid" season from deep: his 2016-17 MVP run, when he shot a career-best 34.3% from beynod the arc, on a career-most 7.2 looks. He has never gotten above 33% in any other season.

Perhaps his improved shooting stroke could also boost his free-throw efficiency. The nine-time All-Star made just 66.7% of his 5.1 looks at the charity stripe, a big decline from his career rate of 78.3% on 6.9 attempts a night.

That Westbrook is amenable to changing his game at all is a massive step. He did start the 2021-22 season, his first with Los Angeles, trying to be more deferential on the floor with his starry teammates LeBron James and Antony Davis. He quickly abandoned this approach and returned to his old ball-hogging ways, to predictably frustrating results. He has never been much of an off-ball threat, but if he's able to improve his three-point shooting (which, to be fair, is a big "if"), that could really help open things up for L.A.