I'm fine with the current team. Ime, can we fix the Free Throw shooting?

Keep at all costs: Amen Thompson - Alperen Sengun - Reed Sheppard

Prefer to Keep but Could Trade for Exciting Value: Jabari Smith - Tari Eason - Fred VanVleet

Prefer to Trade: Jalen Green - Cam Whitmore - Dillon Brooks - Draft Picks

Re-sign: Steven Adams

 

Suggestion: Rick Barry training camp.

 

Sitting tight will end up with zero rings, and a wasted opportunity.

Every championship team makes adjustments through trade...every single one.

DD

 

Improving FT% isn't as simple as telling players to learn to shoot FTs better.

 

I probably omitted the other important point in my post: We did suck at FTs in that series, and all year and absolutely need to improve. I was just pointing out that it wasn't QUITE as bad as less than 50%. I didn't check individual stats, but it seemed like everyone on the team was below their already bad season averages.

 

I think it's worth pointing out here that some guys just don't have it. I can't tell you exactly what "it" is, but like, not every guy in the league can be an 85% free throw shooter if he put in the work and the practice. Some guys just do not have that touch. They could make 2500 free throws a day every single day from now until the start of the season and they still won't shoot over 80%. I'm not saying that they shouldn't even try, or they can't get better, but every player has a natural ceiling somewhere.

 

If Ime could fix ANYTHING he would have....we stunk at FTs all year, why didn't he fix it during the season?

What exactly has he fixed of anyone? Green has gotten worse, Sengun has gotten less efficient, FVV had his worst statistical year. Maybe Brooks......but Ime is not exactly fixing anything or outcoaching anyone.

DD

 

The OP is saying to improve FT% without changing the roster. That is what makes it really hard if not impossible. Imagine you run a restaurant and your cashier sucks at mental math and keep giving out incorrect change. Which is easier to do, replace him with someone who can mentally count better? Or teach him how to do math better and hope he improves? Unfortunately the most effective way to solve the FT issue is the one that OP doesn't want to do.

 

If you want the FT% to get better you need to trade for players that shoot Free throws better. This is two years running we have sucked at it. Sengun supposedly spent all summer last year working on it and regressed. Amen got a little better and I suspect he will get better. Adams will never improve. FT’s are not our problem. Our offense is stuck in mud with FVV as the main facilitator and Jalen Green will not get to the line enough when the lane is completely blocked off. We need shooters and need to get rid of FVV. With a wide open offense Jalen will get to the line 8-10 times a game and he is a good free throw shooter and our team ft% will improve.

 

Idk if shooting can get much better but all I know is if we run it back, we're 100% going to be a lower seed next year.

We won so many games this past season because we're coached to play hard. That's had its consequences when we had a lull with injuries catching up. Every team next season will know they will have to bring it when they play against us, thus we lose that surprise advantage.

Poor shooting and relying purely on offensive rebounding is not the way to a consistent offense.. yet Stone and Ime are trying they're hardest to play 80s basketball.