Justin Kubatko: James Harden is the 20th player in NBA history to make at least 6,000 career free throws. He is the second-youngest player to reach that mark as well as the fourth fastest (based on games played).
Free throws Rumors
The biggest change to LeBron’s game, and the primary reason Davis is leading the Lakers in scoring, is LeBron is neither getting to the foul line nor knocking down enough of his shots when he gets there. LeBron had a good night in this regard against the Knicks, going 7-of-7 from the stripe. But overall, he’s averaging a career-low 5.5 free throws and making 3.8 of them (also a career low). Last year, LeBron’s free-throw percentage of .665 was a career worst, but the 68.8 percent of free throws he’s making this year is the third-worst shooting of his 17 seasons. He’s shooting 6.2 3-pointers per game, which is, you guessed it, a career high.
Damian Lillard, who opened the game with five straight hits from three-point range but ended 5-12 from three and missed four free throws, seemed to take this one hard. “A tough loss for me,” he said. “A tough loss. I think when you have a hot start like we did, it’s important to retain your focus. We weren’t able to sustain that focus and that energy we had for the first part of the game.”
Harden can make step-back 3-pointers, floaters or free throws at a consistent rate. As much as the Rockets have marveled at this for the past eight seasons, they believe Harden is just getting started. “This year, he is better again,” general manager Daryl Morey told USA TODAY Sports. “It’s unprecedented in NBA history for a guy to get better like this.”
Despite awesome scoring totals, Harden’s percentages from the field aren’t as dominant as other great scorers. He converts his shots at average rates, but that’s deceptive because he hedges on efficiency by only shooting in the best spots. And he achieves a massive subsidy by getting to the line more than anyone else in the NBA. Harden is the savviest foul-hunting guard this league has ever seen. He’s led the NBA in made free throws in each of the past five seasons, but he’s taking it to new heights this season. The dude is going to the line 14.4 times per game, and over 12 of his nearly 39 points per night are coming at the charity stripe.
Here’s a fact that’s sure to disappoint every loudmouth behind a basket in the NBA: All that stuff fans do — clanging things together, yelling, waving arms, shaking bellies — doesn’t actually seem to work. Last season, players shot 76.7% on free throws at home versus 76.6% on the road.
Russell Westbrook, one of the savviest free throw defenders in the league, has a more nuanced go-to move. It’s similar to Beverley’s cliffhanger but more subtle. Right as the shooter raises the ball over his head, Westbrook will go from bent over with hands on his knees, to popping straight up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Westbrook said when asked about it, with one part wink-wink and another part don’t-you-dare-ask-another-question-about-this.
JJ Redick, an 89% career free thrower, said that passing comments such as, “I know you’re gonna give me one here” are pretty standard. He said he often has noticed someone from the bench yelling right as he shoots. “You can count on it when we play the Raptors, [Toronto assistant coach] Jamaal Magloire is gonna stand up and yell while you’re shooting free throws. It’s just gonna happen,” Redick said. “I do the same s—.”
Hachimura, who has drawn comparisons to Jabari Parker, Terry Cummings, Antawn Jamison and Pascal Siakam, among others, according to NBA pundits Hoop Scoop has contacted in recent days, recognizes that getting to the free-throw line on a consistent basis is something he needs to do more of. He’s only attempted 18 free throws, but made 5 of 6 against the Spurs. Being aggressive and scoring inside, even when contact is made by an opponent, is a priority. “Yeah, you have to,” Hachimura said, referring to completing scoring chances at the rim, according to The Washington Times. “Even if I get fouled, you have to go up strong.”
Justin Kubatko: The @Houston Rockets James Harden is just the second player in NBA history to attempt at least 10 free throws in each of his first 15 games of a season. The other to do so is Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63.
First things first — 3-pointers barely produce any more points than 2-pointers, on average. The league hits 35.2 percent of its 3s and 52.0 percent of its 2s last season, meaning both shots produced nearly identical expected returns – 1.04 points for 2s, 1.06 points for 3s. From that perspective, giving an additional shot for a shooting foul on a 3-pointer compared to a 2-pointer makes no sense — the shooter wasn’t likely to score more points on the initial shot.
In fact, check this out: That return on a three-shot foul is so excessive that, on average, committing one is about as bad as committing a flagrant! The second shot on a flagrant can’t be rebounded, so the two shots on average are worth 1.53 points for the offense. The team then inbounds on a dead ball, which is the lowest efficiency initial condition for offense – yielding 1.07 points per possession last season, according to our Seth Partnow. That brings our total for the trip to 2.60 points. So a three-shot foul hands the offense 2.56 points on average … and a flagrant gives it 2.60. It’s basically the same. Yikes.
So, summing it all up: The three-shot foul creates a massively disproportionate penalty to the crime committed, on a play type that officials have difficulty calling correctly. It also likely creates more contact and injury potential rather than reducing it, and incentivizes both boorish behavior and stylistic monotony that make the game less entertaining. The league can go back to three shots in the final two minutes to eliminate intentional fouling incentives late in games; we already have several other rules that change in the last two minutes. But for the first 46 minutes, it’s clearly a bad rule.
Justin Kubatko: The @Houston Rockets James Harden has made at least five 3-pointers and 10 free throws in 66 games, 50 more than any other player in NBA history and eight more than the next four players combined.
Spencer Dinwiddie scored 34 points and Kyrie Irving had 33 for Brooklyn to help send Portland to its fourth consecutive loss. “He got 60, but luckily for us he would’ve needed 65,” Dinwiddie said of Lillard after the game. Lillard set a franchise record with the highest-scoring game of the season in the NBA. He was 19-of-33 from the field, 7-of-16 from 3-point range and made all 15 of his free throws. “We tried zone, box-and-one, we tried blitz, we threw the kitchen sink at him,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said of Lillard. “He just kept making incredible shots.”
Tommy Beer: There are 55 NBA players that have attempted at least 30 free throws this season. Only two are shooting 60% or worse from the FT stripe: RJ Barrett and Julius Randle.
Justin Kubatko: The @Houston Rockets James Harden is the first player in NBA history to make at least 10 free throws in each of his first eight games of a season. He has a streak of nine such games dating back to last season, one shy of the record shared by Elgin Baylor and Oscar Robertson.
Justin Kubatko: The @Houston Rockets James Harden has made 114 free throws this season, nine more than any other player in NBA history through their first eight games of a season. Also, his 126 attempts through eight games are just one shy of the record set by Wilt Chamberlain in 1969-70.
But through seven games, he’s made just 42 of 70 [free-throw] attempts. Antetokounmpo’s 60 percent accuracy, if carried out for an entire season, would easily be the lowest of his career, far below the 74.2 percent he shot in his first six seasons. Is he worried? “It’s too early,” said Antetokounmpo, who is averaging a career-high 10 free throws per game. “I just gotta keep shooting, keep believing in myself, keep believing in my work. And it’s going to go in. “There’s nothing more I can say because you cannot overthink free throws. Once you start overthinking it, you shoot two air balls in a row.”
Many players have a specific routine — take the same number of dribbles, spin the ball a certain way, breathing patterns — at the free-throw line, but not Antetokounmpo. “For me, I just want to catch my breath,” Antetokounmpo said. “Sometimes, I dribble five or six times. I dribble, feel comfortable, feel comfortable in my wrist and then I shoot it.”
Mavericks unhappy with officiating
Doncic said he didn’t even know who hit him from behind to cause his laceration but strongly believed a loose-ball foul should have been called. He also complained to referee Mark Lindsay about being hit in the face by James on a pass that resulted in a turnover in the opening minute of overtime, pointing to his face and the back of his head repeatedly during a conversation with the official while James shot the free throws that put the Lakers up nine points with less than a minute left. “I was just asking if I got hit in the head, how’s that not a foul?” said Doncic, who on multiple occasions showed referees scratches on his arms after drives that didn’t result in foul calls, once leading to a stoppage in play for infectious disease control because he was bleeding. “Just should have concentrated on the game and not talked to the refs. That was my fault.”
Tommy Beer: Per @Basketball-Reference, Only twice in NBA history has a player scored 40+ points, made 25+ free throws and grabbed 20+ rebounds in a single game: 1. Wilt Chamberlain, when he famously scored 100 points vs. the Knicks on March 2nd, 1962 2. Anthony Davis, last night
Ohm Youngmisuk: After going 3-for-5 from the line tonight, Dwight Howard went back out to work on his free throws after the game and just came back into the locker room not too long ago
The NBA G League is experimenting this season with a new rule under which all trips to the free throw line will include only a single foul shot that will be worth one, two or three points depending on the nature of the foul leading to the attempt, officials told ESPN. It marks the latest move — in both the G League and the NBA — to improve game flow and reduce the length of games. Officials estimate that moving to a “one foul shot for all the points” model will shave between six and eight minutes off each G League game, says Brad Walker, head of basketball operations for the league.
He started to make his way back to the Golden State locker room, but as you all remember … the machine returned to the court. “Somebody went out and grabbed us in the tunnel and said, ‘If he doesn’t shoot these free throws, he can’t come back,’ Warriors GM Bob Myers explained Thursday on 95.7 The Game. “And Klay didn’t even wait for an answer. He just walked back on the court.
“And I grabbed him and I said, ‘Listen, man. If you’re gonna shoot these free throws…’ — because we didn’t know what it was at that time, we had no idea, he hadn’t been examined — and I said, ‘We don’t know what this is, shoot the free throws, don’t move. Just shoot the free throws and stay there.’ “[Klay said] ‘OK, all right. I got it.’ [He] shoots the free throws and starts running back (laughter). I said, ‘What are you doing?’ Maybe that’s my own fault for trusting. “But that’s the competitor in the guy.”
On Twitter, where the world is always on fire, Rex Chapman’s timeline has become an oasis. The world is, in fact, a nightmare filled with escaped cows and too-large beach balls concussing small children. But at least we can award the concussed kids possession, and maybe two free throws. “I really wanted off social media. The place became so toxic. I just wanted off. But I have people who employ me who told me I needed social media,” says Chapman. “Thankfully, now I have this. What’s cool is that it’s sort of a break for everyone now.”
The made baskets aren’t the only plays that matter when it comes to Hayward’s drives. His added burst is also leading to another development, as he noted Saturday night. “Well certainly it draws some attention from the defense,” he said, “and I think I’ve been able to get to the line a little bit more, too.” Also true. Hayward has attempted an average of 3.8 free throws over the last four games, compared to an average of 2.4 per game during his first 64 games.
Albert Nahmad: Clint Capela’s free throw percentage is now up to 63.0%. He negotiated for a $500K bonus if he shoots 65%+, having shot 48.2% for his career and never better than 56.0% in any season. He may not quite reach the bonus this season, but his improvement is nonetheless impressive.
Jovan Buha: The Clippers win the second Battle of Free Agency, defeating the Knicks 124-113 to improve to 44-30 and move into the No. 5 spot. Lou Williams led the Clip w/ 29 pts, Gallo had 26 and Trezz had 24. Clips made 15 3s and 33 free throws. Up next: at Minnesota on Tuesday.
For fans, a trip to the free-throw line is the most mundane action of a 48-minute contest. More often than not, aside from commercial breaks, it’s the perfect opportunity for someone at home to flip the channel and see what else is on or to peruse social media. On the court, however, the free-throw line acts as a reunion for a players, an exercise in trash talk or a recalibration of expectations. You can liken it to baseball, when a batter reaches base and spends, potentially, minutes there next to an opponent, one with whom he may have a relationship, or with whom he can at least share words. The visits to the NBA’s free-throw line are much shorter. Yet there’s always time for words to be exchanged.
“I wouldn’t say you get close to guys, but you get a couple of words in, joke around, say something funny,” Andre Drummond said. “More times than not, though, with me … I’ll say, ‘Hey, I’m not talking to you.’ But if it’s someone I’m cool with, or one of the elite guys say something to me, I’ll talk. “There’s not much talking with me because their main focus is to keep me off the glass. It takes that split second for me to hit you and get that positioning.”
Then there are your trash talkers. Behind Ish Smith’s trademark smile is a master schemer, someone who playfully uses words to toy with an opponent’s state of mind. Admittedly, Smith says his trash talk isn’t as direct and as egregious as that of someone like Kevin Garnett, but he’ll try to throw off opponents by praising their accomplishments. “I’ll mess with them and be like, ‘Man, y’all are rolling tonight,’ or ‘Your defensive coverages are crazy.’ It’s a little back-and-forth.”
Early in his career, as a rim-running, rim-gripping, NBA whippersnapper, Blake Griffin always wondered what Tim Duncan would say next. As a member of the Clippers, Griffin and the Spurs’ soon-to-be Hall of Famer would see one another regularly — at least three times a season, to be exact — and Griffin could count on Duncan to lean over and say something, always, at the same exact meeting place: the free-throw line. “I remember one of my first times playing against him … (he) looked at me and made a joke,” recalls Griffin, now with the Pistons. “Every time we would line up next to each other, he was always like … I remember, probably, three or four seasons in, it might have been preseason or early in the season, and he looks over and goes, ‘Oh … You’re still here?’ That type of stuff. I always remember talking to him. “There’s a lot of guys you talk to at the free-throw line, and definitely relationships form.”
All season long, Galloway’s sneakers have produced conversations at the free-throw line. And Saturday’s victory over the Heat, with time for his kicks to be more intently examined, was no different. “Derrick Jones looked down and was like, ‘Bro, those are tough. You have some heat on,’” Galloway said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I got to do it.’ He was telling me he liked the shoes. It’s always cool when people acknowledge your shoes. “Eventually, that’ll become a thing because of the NBA’s lifted rules. Guys will be talking about shoes more during free throws.”
Darnell Mayberry: Final: Bulls 110, Magic 109. Lauri Markkanen makes the game-winning free throws after being fouled on a 3 by Aaron Gordon with 1.5 seconds left. Markkanen finishes with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Zach LaVine with 22 points and six assists.
Waiters said it’s as if the Heat’s physical reputation has been discounted on one end of the court. The Heat are 20th in free throws at 22 per game. “You know, we’re physical,” he said. “That’s what we’re known for, a physical, tough team. We’re going to make it hard every night for you. “But we’re going to put our heads down too and get to the basket, too. There’s guys like myself, I get in the paint a whole lot. I went to the free-throw line twice. Come on, man. When you look at 36-12 free throws, something’s not right.”
That’s when the Warriors played for a final shot, with Durant trying to get free with his dribble for another dagger. Only he briefly lost his dribble, with the ball rolling as the Warriors forward touched it with one hand and then the other. Allowed to play on, he then hoisted an errant 3-pointer, with the rebound corralled by teammate DeMarcus Cousins. With the Warriors center fouled by Winslow on the play, he converted two free throws with 5.4 seconds to close out the scoring. “It’s a double-dribble,” Spoelstra said. “Everybody can see it. Those are tough calls to make, but everybody saw it. It’s right there in front of everybody. That should be a violation. And you can’t miss those calls.”
John Wall: Won’t most of the interview bra…I said wat it was y we lost the game, I said afta I talked bout myself missin lay ups that I gotta make and me not gettin some free throws lol.
Fred Katz: John Wall got asked about picking up his fifth tech of the season tonight. “How many free throws I shoot today?” A reporter responded, “Two.” “There’s your answer,” Wall said. “I got a tech for clapping my hands.”
Mitchell Robinson, New York’s 7-foot-1 rookie, fouled out with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter after having only two fouls at halftime. Noah Vonleh of the Knicks also fouled out with 2:29 to go in the fourth, and Mario Hezonja picked up his sixth foul in the final minute. Detroit went 32 of 45 on free throws and New York was 27 of 32. “I thought tonight was at least pretty consistent,” Griffin said. “Both ends, there was a lot of fouls called.”
He said he also will not worry about the incentives in his contract, including the 65 free-throw percentage he would have to reach to earn an extra $500,000. Capela’s 56 percent shooting from the line last season was the best of his career and a considerable improvement from his 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) free-throw shooting as a rookie, but well short of 65 percent. “I’m not even worried,” Capela said. “I work on it every day. There’s no pressure to do that. That’s a good goal. I like it. Sixty-five percent, it’s a good percentage, which means I’m going to be respected.”
Jay King: Jaylen Brown on working at free throws, ball handling, playmaking for others: “So many things that people critiqued me on in the past, it will be interesting to see if they critique me this year.”
Jon Johnson: Ben Simmons putting up free throws at camp
No doubt, it will take that roster time to adjust. Stephenson arrived in Los Angeles this week and will soon get with the coaches, dive into the playbook, and begin working out with the motivated young core of Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Josh Hart. “They play my type of basketball, run and gun,” Stephenson said. “And then we got LeBron. You got a guy like that on your team and the game will come easy. So, I just have to play my role — hit open jump shots, attack the rim, hit free throws, play great defense — and I think I’ll be all right.”
Rick Barry still has come bragging rights over Curry with free-throw shooting, though. Though Curry (90.3) has a lead over Barry (89.6) in all-time free-throw shooting percentage, Curry fell short this season in eclipsing Barry’s franchise record for most consecutive free-throws made (60) after converting on his first 52 attempts. “That’s the only part of the game you can be selfish and help your team. Free throws are key,” Barry said. “You win a lot of games if you make your free throws. That’s why the Warriors are so dangerous. They’re an indefensible team when their guys are on. They have three players who can shoot the three, drive to the basket and are great free-throw shooters. How do you shut that down? You can’t. You just can’t.”
Ironically, Courtney Lee’s costly T came on a night he set a franchise record for consecutive made free throws, breaking Chris Duhon’s record of 44. He got the record and possibly an NBA fine for a rant that included his belief that officiating nowadays has turned for the worse. Lee claimed referees are more sensitive, noting the amount of technical fouls he’s gotten already compared to the four he had for his career coming into the season. “If you’re going to get a technical when both are talking to each other and not talking to you, it’s a double tech in that situation,’’ Lee said. “If both of us are talking, it has nothing to do with you. No violent talk. No cuss words were even said. I don’t know what’s going on. It’s different now. I really appreciate [retired] guys like Joey Crawford, Monty McCutcheon, Dick Bavetta. You appreciate those guys. I’m at a loss for words.’’
