NBA 2017-18: 5 Worst Free-Throw Shooters
Free-Throws are supposed to be free points where the player takes shots when the game stops. There is no defense played by the opposition and no one other than the one shooting can stop themselves from scoring points on free throws. The world has seen some great free-throw shooters in the NBA, in the form of Steve Nash, Mark Price, Stephen Curry, Ray Allen just to name a few.
On the other hand, the game also saw some of the worst free-throw shooters in the NBA. Legends like Ben Wallace, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal had a very tough time at the free-throw line for major parts of their career. The league of bad free-throw shooters traditionally consist of Centers who mostly dominate at the rim with their height and power, and are not good shooters.
Intentional fouling has become a very common strategy where a team fouls the opposing team's worst free-throw shot maker intentionally to send him to the free throw line. This is particularly used when the opposition is playing really well and you are not sure of what strategy to implement. This strategy can be used to kill the opposing team's momentum.
We look at 5 players who have nightmares making shots from the free-throw line in the 2017-18 NBA season.
Honourable Mention:
Andre Drummond
Andre Drummond, the Detroit Pistons Center, was the worst free-throw shooter during the 2016-17 season with a very pathetic free-throw percentage of 38.6. However, this season, he shot with a lot more precision from the free-throw line and made significant progress in becoming a better free-throw shooter as he shot at a career-high 60.5 percentage from the free-throw line. Although he has improved a lot from where he was last season, he is still one of the worst free-throw shooters in the league and needs to work harder to get his shot right.
#5 DeAndre Jordan
DeAndre Jordan is known for his rebounding ability and the dominance with which he plays in the paint. The 2-time rebounding leader is a constant double-double threat and the only way to stop him is by fouling him when he attempts a shot and sending him to the free-throw line. There is a high chance it will pay dividends because he is known for his struggles at the free-throw line.
During the 2015 playoffs, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs targeted DJ constantly with the infamous "Hack-a-DJ" to kill Clippers' momentum. In Game 4 of the conference semifinals, DeAndre attempted 28 free-throws, only in the first half, breaking Shaq's record.
Jordan is one of the worst free-throw shooters of all time in the NBA and was second worst in the NBA during the 2016-17 season, only behind Drummond. However, this season, his figures improved a lot as he shot career-high 58.0 percentage from the free-throw line.