Jake LaRavia has focused on refining both his mental and physical approach to basketball as he approaches a contract year with the Los Angeles Lakers. The 6-foot-7 forward, who struggled with consistency during his rookie NBA season, has developed a new pregame routine that includes detailed journaling in the locker room and adjustments to his shooting technique.

LaRavia’s preseason performance has shown marked improvement, particularly from beyond the three-point arc. Entering Tuesday, he had converted six of 11 attempts, shooting 54.5% in the preseason. This contrasts with a challenging rookie campaign during which he made only 32.1% of his three-point shots. Despite appearing in all 82 regular-season games last year, LaRavia was dropped from the playoff rotation, spending the Lakers’ final two postseason games on the bench.

Acknowledging the ups and downs of his first season, LaRavia said he became too reactive to results, which affected his confidence and focus. He described a “mental lapse” late in the season that he struggled to overcome, noting the difficulty of maintaining composure at the professional level. In response, he took what he described as a “summer of reflection and intentionality,” aiming to prioritize his preparation over outcomes.

A key aspect of his offseason work has been journaling daily goals and intentions, a practice encouraged by the Lakers’ coaching staff. Assistant coach JJ Redick highlighted LaRavia’s proactive approach to mental health and shooting, noting that not all players are willing to put their thoughts on paper. Redick, who himself was a skilled three-point shooter during his NBA career, has worked with LaRavia on minor mechanical adjustments. These included shifting the ball slightly to the right to create a more linear shot path over his right shoulder.

“With these small tweaks, he’s gained more confidence in his three-point shot than he’s had in years,” Redick said. The coach emphasized that confidence is crucial, and that while LaRavia’s baseline shooting percentage was solid before last season, the mental adjustments and refined technique have combined to improve his performance.

LaRavia has set clear intentions ahead of each game: maintain aggressive shooting, play strong defense, compete through fatigue, and focus on controlling the aspects of the game within his reach. Rather than monitoring made shots or points scored, he concentrates on the process, allowing the statistics to follow.

As LaRavia continues to develop his game and mindset, his combination of refined mechanics and mental discipline could play a key role in his contributions to the Lakers this season.