I don't know anybody has noticed it but ever since the Dallas game, his free throw stroke looks more fluid. He no longer flicks the shot, instead he keeps the ball down and follows through.
His stroke was never really the problem. I'm guessing something got into his head when he was younger about his free throw shooting and he's held onto that. He seems to lack focus when he releases. Sometimes when he misses, he misses by a big margin. Imagine if he could shoot free throws, it would open up his game a lot more and other teams would be more hesitant to foul him.
He has bad technique, as a result the margin for error is larger. There is a reason why when his shot is long is rarely does in but if he gets a little short he can get the roll. He misses by big margins because of this margin for error in his technique.
But doesn't he shoot like 80% in practice? I've heard it many times from multiple sources. That tells me he's doing something different in games than in practice. Rhythm, perhaps. Maybe he shoots 80% because he shoots 100 in a row. That's easier than shooting two in the flow of a game. And at least part of this has to be mental. We've seen him get hot during hack a Howard and hit 60-70%. But we've also seen him go sub 50%.
Good observation. He's shooting more like I've been saying he should. Instead of setting with the ball near his chin, he sets it near his waist and brings it up to release in one smooth motion. Check it out: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/MRllhe14Qwk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRllhe14Qwk&feature=youtu.be
And since he's been shooting this way, he's gone 15/19 for 79%. Let's see if he continues to shoot with this fluid form and if he continues to shoot a good percentage.
By the way, I made a whole thread about this very issue about his form: http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showthread.php?t=245877
He wasn't using his knees fluidly. You have to pull the trigger before your knees lock. He shot as he was locking his knees. That's specifically what has changed.
You should be releasing as your knees are pretty much straight and you are on your toes, and your knees should never lock. The release, your legs being straight, and getting on your toes should all meet at the same time. He's still not using his lower body perfectly. He should bend a little more at the knees, but what is more important than bending the legs is getting up on the toes. He is at least getting up on his toes, and that is more important in my opinion. It would feel much more natural to not bend much at the knees but make sure I get up on my toes than to bend at the knees but remain flat-footed. I think he's got all of the main mechanics down now. He's got more range of motion and it's more fluid.
I think this is the end of the Hack-a-Dwight Era. Dwight now steps up to the FT line like a boss. Suck it, the rest of the league! :grin:
Howard's been shooting free throws that way in practice since 2011, when he hired Ed Palubinskas as his shooting coach (and he makes them at a 85-90% clip). Then the game starts, and Dwight stops with the ball halfway through and breaks his motion. Glad to see he finally implemented that form in real games. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_cg08SXrQ0 - 2011 in Orlando http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=160jxEXRzTE - in LA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oovg7e1r684 - Houston training camp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryuRrOOK2UM - Houston pregame, 17/19 FT
He's always going to be a bad free throw shooter. No matter how many people coach him. No matter how hard he tries. If he was going to improve significantly, it would have happened by now. His form will look better sometimes. He'll go on hot streaks. But overall, he's always going to be a poor FT shooter that's worth fouling at the end of a game. The good news is, we knew it before we signed him, and we don't need him to be any better at FT's than he's ever been for him to fit the role we asked of him before we signed him.
Nice find, I always watched Dwight ever since he was in Orlando, since well I'm a Magic fan too. I never seen that video of him working with Ed. I was watching that Cavs game with the Cavs commentators and even they commented on his free throw, saying it was more fluid.
