As poorly as Lonzo Ball shot the ball (2-of-15 from the field, 1-of-12 from three) during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 128-125 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, it’s hard to take issue with the attempts he took. While the rookie out of UCLA might have done better attacking off the dribble rather than settling for jumper after jumper, the looks he got were mostly open and well within his wheelhouse—on just about any other night, at least.

“I’d shoot them the same, just hope I made them,” Ball said afterward, via the Spectrum SportsNet broadcast. “The shots I’m getting, I like them, I’ve been hitting them my whole life. A little frustrated they’re not going in, though.”

Of those tries, four of the cleanest came in the final five minutes at the Smoothie King Center. None of them came close to dropping, as the Lakers watched New Orleans whittle away what was left of the visitors’ double-digit lead.

“I just didn’t come through,” Zo said matter-of-factly. “The ball was in my hands. My shots were pretty much open down the stretch. I didn’t hit them.”

Zo’s woes added to a slump that’s seen him shoot 7-of-48 from beyond the arc over his last seven games, with exactly one long-distance make in each of those contests. As such, Ball had a hunch that the Pelicans would might not press him as previous opponents had.

“I knew they was going to leave me open,” he said. “I was telling Luke , ‘Give me the ball, I’m gonna shoot them.’ Unfortunately, I didn’t make them.”

Lonzo admitted that he’s seen slippage in some of his usual habits that could be contributing to his recent troubles.

“Some of the time, I leave my hand up. I’ve got to leave my hand up more,” he said. “But they’re shots I’ve been hitting my whole life. They’re just not going in right now.”

What, then, can Zo do to correct his problems before the Lakers face the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday?

“Look at the film, look at my feet, the way I’m holding my follow through,” he said. “Just try to fix it before the next game.”

Considering the 61-point shellacking the Grizzlies suffered against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday, L.A. might not need much more from Zo to end its four-game skid. Still, for the good of his own psyche as well as that of the Purple and Gold, Ball could stand to see some of his shots actually drop at the FedEx Forum.