Finally, JVG telling the truth about poor free throw shooters. Tirico trying to get guys like Drummond and DeAndre off the hook for their abysmal free throw shooting. JVG holding his feet to the fire with, "No, they don't." That's the truth. Any player that really wants to can get their FT shooting up to a reasonable 60%. They have to want to. This is why I'm saying if you're going to eliminate the hacking foul then you've got to make sub 50% FT shooters leave the floor when their team is in the bonus. You can't eliminate hacking and not do anything about multi-millionaires not caring about one of the key fundamental components of doing their job.
If you can't shoot threes you can choose to not shoot threes. If you are a terrible midrange player you can elect to never shoot outside the paint. You can't make that choice with free throws, which is why its unfair. Free throws are about the only facet of the game where if you are horrible at it the other team can actively force you to shoot them. I'm okay with intentionally fouling in lieu of an open layup/dunk/etc, but hack-a-Shaq is unfair imo.
So, you disagree with JVG? You think Dwight is out there practicing free throws like a man determined to win a championship, but he just physically will never be able to shoot FT's at 60%??
I just don't buy that teams and orgs across the league aren't already doubling down on forcing/helping poor free throw shooters to improve internally.
Big men with big hands tend to have trouble shooting free throws for obvious reasons..but i still don't get why they can't let go of pride and learn the underhanded free throw from Rick Barry. Anything for your team to win. I remember Rick Barry guaranteeing he could get Shaq to i think he said 80+% if he let him teach him.
Howard has spent a fair amount of time working on his free throw shooting with the Rockets... it is mostly mental for him. Most players will improve into the 60%-70% range with a lot of hard work.... However there are some that is just doesn't matter, they are bad at it. Drummond is a monster talent but it is unlikely he ever consistently reaches 60%.
Caesar is right on. That's what JVG was saying when he said they don't try. He said "I'm not talking about going in to the gym and doing the same thing." Obviously they practice their FTs constantly, and they can't improve, so they need to try something different.
I want to see underhanded free throws. But it's not manly so people would rather shoot 50% and keep their pride.
It is psychological and bad work ethic. It is a disgrace if a pro bball player cant make more than 50% fts. There is absolutely no excuse which is why im very happy the league has decided not to enable them by changing the rules.
It's mostly mental? So, he's just a p*ssy then?? There are ways to address mental toughness as well, but I doubt he is really into that.
I can hit free throws. If I can hit free throws, then this professional basketball player who spends INFINITELY more time on a bball court dating back to when he was a little kid can hit free throws. I've never had coaching. I'm not coordinated at all. And I rarely ever play. No excuses.
Did Shaq and Wilt claim to hit 80% in practice but always choke down to 40% in games???? I don't think you get the reason I claimed Dwight was a p*ssy in that context, so think a bit more before you post.
Well. Wilt was good at a time. He progressively got worse. I'm telling ya...those giant hands....Sure you can say MJ and Kawhi have giant hands and are good ft shooters, but they are more long than wide AND long. These big men have bear paws. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V8fn1IaTMQM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Just look at the size of that basketball in Wilts hands.... But yeah. AT LEAST WILT TRIED. He went underhanded. More than any bad shooting big man could ever say.
Yes. FT shooting after a certain level is 99% mental. There is no reason for a professional player who has shot literally tens of thousands of FT shots and still doesn't have the muscle memory to do the same again and again. FT shooting is one of the most constant motions in any sports. You don't have to change anything each time. No need to worry about the defense or the wind or the distance. Just concentrate and go through the motion. Each missed FT is because of some mental distraction (unless it's some random muscle twitch).
Constant practice should make a free throw a reflex. If it's not a reflex, you think your way through the shot. And that's where the trouble starts. If you have an easily-exploitable weakness, that's YOUR problem. Yao Ming was 7'5". He hit 80%. No excuse.
