Why Not a Designated FT Shooter?

[Sifaka]

For those who embrace the baseball DH model, I'll just tell you how much fun it was to watch Warren Spahn and Don Drysdale hit homers in games they pitched.

 

[Huskee11]

I am mystified as to why athletes who can do so many incredible things on a basketball court, men and women, aren`t able to make virtually all of their free throws.

It isn`t that hard. Only 15 feet away, plenty of time, no one in your face.

They are practicing almost every day and have great coaching. The problem with a lot of the bad ones is lack of balance, too much arm and body movement, and as a result a flawed and inconsistent release, with most misses going hard and long. Azzi is textbook - perfect balance, minimal movement, consistent release.

On the proposal, I am against it. Players should be versatile and we don`t need free throw specialists. If you can`t shoot a high percentage as a team, you deserve to lose a close game.

People have mentioned the DH in baseball but one of the great things about baseball is that the lineup rotates through 1-9 and at the key spot the worst hitter in the lineup could be up. Not like they get to parade the DH out at will.

And when it comes down to sheer drama, wouldn`t you rather have Ollie at the line than Jimmy? (Well, not so much if you were a Hickory fan but it ended well in the movie!)

 

[msf22b]

Nice Try...

 

[Plebe]

It's exactly this way in Soccer. The Coach gets to pick who takes a penalty kick, limited to who was on the field. The same for shootouts at the end of tie games. If Soccer fans were being consistent, they would welcome this rule change.

Not really. PKs in soccer are more akin to basketball's technical fouls than common fouls. Common fouls in soccer do not result in PKs.

 

[D J B]

I am mystified as to why athletes who can do so many incredible things on a basketball court, men and women, aren`t able to make virtually all of their free throws.

Because no one practices them anymore. It isn't glamorous. It isn't exciting. It's a boring and lonely job.

Larry Bird was known for shooting 100 free throws on a routine basis, making a game out of it to see if he could hit 99 in a row.

I imagine players, like Paige for example, have always practiced shooting free throws, and stay late to do it.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Along with this, we could have designated rebounders and designated three-point shooters and designated shot blockers and designated dribblers. Each of those would be no worse than having a designated free-throw shooter.

 

[stamfordhusky]

Not really. PKs in soccer are more akin to basketball's technical fouls than common fouls. Common fouls in soccer do not result in PKs.

Exactly right. Additionally there is perhaps one penalty kick in an average soccer game. That’s a LOT different than free throws in basketball, to say the least.

 

[huskyd]

aside Dorka, the other players missing ft I don't think it's technique I think it's mentality. Rest assured if this does not improve for the players, other teams are going to keep fouling them and sending them to the ft line.

You're right IMO. The psychological piece is the most important. I can't explain why a shooting guard can make shots in action but not standing quietly at the FT line. Aka: "Choke."
W/out mentioning specific players, you know who I mean . . .

 

[stamfordhusky]

Because no one practices them anymore. It isn't glamorous. It isn't exciting. It's a boring and lonely job.

Larry Bird was known for shooting 100 free throws on a routine basis, making a game out of it to see if he could hit 99 in a row.

I imagine players, like Paige for example, have always practiced shooting free throws, and stay late to do it.

I have heard from ccollege coaches that most of their bad FT shooters practice constantly. They shoot them well in practice but not in games. Possible factors: nerves, fatigue, elevated heart rate in games, lack of focus. Plus it is much harder to shoot FT's for many players to hit a high pct when they shoot two and then wait 30 minutes to shoot the next two. Shooting 100 in a row is a totally different skill.

Even Wilt Chamberlain could hit FT's in practice.

Btw, I couldn't find stats for women players, but I was able to confirm that the men shoot their FT's significantly better than they did 20 years ago.

 

[huskyd]

Exactly right. Additionally there is perhaps one penalty kick in an average soccer game. That’s a LOT different than free throws in basketball, to say the least.

Woah, there. In soccer there are frequent free kicks if a player has been fouled seriously enough (judgment call). Any player can take the free kick, and usually that player is a designated "specialist." The same applies to corner kicks: anyone can take one, and that is usually the job of a player with special skills. Think: Megan Rapinoe. Penalty kicks are indeed rare, but kicks of other types frequently result in scores.

 

[Biff]

Even Wilt Chamberlain could hit FT's in practice.

O.K. now that's just crazy talk.

 

[Cuango]

Too bad today’s players are unwilling to try the underhand method of shooting free throws. Many of the old time players swear by this method and contend that virtually anyone who struggles with their free throws could raise their percentage substantially by using this method. Unfortunately, today’s players are more concerned with possible ridicule by others than they are with improving a critical weakness in their game. Shaquille shot 52% over his career. Imagine if he had gone to Rick Barry and improved his percentage to say, 75% even. That would have resulted in many more points but more importantly more wins for his teams. It would have also eliminated the fouling (Hack-a-Shaq) at the end of games and kept one of the most dominant forces in the history of the game on the floor during crunch time. It really just boggles my mind that people are so caught up with possibly being made fun of that they won’t at least try something that could conceivably make such a difference in their career as a basketball player. Now, I’m obviously no expert, perhaps the efficacy of this method is overstated. However, one of the great free throw shooters of all time swears by it so I would think it would be worth a try at least!

 

[Charliebball]

strange idea but it would work out just fine for UConn.............Bueckers and Fudd are both 90% plus foul shooters.......

 

[D J B]

I have heard from ccollege coaches that most of their bad FT shooters practice constantly. They shoot them well in practice but not in games. Possible factors: nerves, fatigue, elevated heart rate in games, lack of focus. Plus it is much harder to shoot FT's for many players to hit a high pct when they shoot two and then wait 30 minutes to shoot the next two. Shooting 100 in a row is a totally different skill.

Even Wilt Chamberlain could hit FT's in practice.

Btw, I couldn't find stats for women players, but I was able to confirm that the men shoot their FT's significantly better than they did 20 years ago.

Interesting, that. There's no way to practice your way out of nerves, elevated heart rate or lack of focus. Yoga, meditation or a year's sabbatical in Tibet might help. Fatigue is a different animal with a different regimen approach.

And it isn't about shooting 100 in a row as a skill. It's about shooting ANY amount in practice on a regular basis. There's a certain amount of muscle memory involved, and repetition is key. I'll bet that it's generally hard to find anyone who actually practices free throws.

And I'm not surprised about the men's stats. If you can improve your points per game average by making an additional 2 or 4 free throws per game, you can increase your $$ worth. It really is worth practicing.

 

[Centerstream]

...
People have mentioned the DH in baseball but one of the great things about baseball is that the lineup rotates through 1-9 and at the key spot the worst hitter in the lineup could be up. Not like they get to parade the DH out at will.

And when it comes down to sheer drama, wouldn`t you rather have Ollie at the line than Jimmy? (Well, not so much if you were a Hickory fan but it ended well in the movie!)

But they can insert a pinch hitter. This gives me an idea...

 

[Centerstream]

Because no one practices them anymore. It isn't glamorous. It isn't exciting. It's a boring and lonely job.

Larry Bird was known for shooting 100 free throws on a routine basis, making a game out of it to see if he could hit 99 in a row.

I imagine players, like Paige for example, have always practiced shooting free throws, and stay late to do it.

Swerve time: This could be hyperbole or an old wives tale about Larry Bird.
The story is one time he was taking his pregame FTs and was not making every one. So he asked facility maintenance to verify the basket was at the required 10' height. It was off by 1/2 inch.

 

[D J B]

Swerve time: This could be hyperbole or an old wives tale about Larry Bird.
The story is one time he was taking his pregame FTs and was not making every one. So he asked facility maintenance to verify the basket was at the required 10' height. It was off by 1/2 inch.

I don't know about Larry Bird, but I know for certain Rick Barry questioned the rim height before a game when he was with the Warriors. I remember watching it on the local San Francisco sports news that evening, and the officials were out there on the court with a ladder and a tape measure. He was right, the rim was 1/2" too high. And he based his claim on practicing free throws before the game.

 

[D J B]

Along with this, we could have designated rebounders and designated three-point shooters and designated shot blockers and designated dribblers. Each of those would be no worse than having a designated free-throw shooter.

Now this sounds like fun. Imagine 10 players on the court with 10 zebras to watch it all, and 10 cameras on those overhead cable thingies to track players, with a replay booth of at least 20 technicians to oversee all of this and insure that no one performed a task they weren't approved for. And at least 15 sideline officials to keep track of who checks in and who is qualified to do so. Now stretch a 40 minute game into a 4 or 5 hour spectacle, and no one can complain about not getting their money's worth. Sounds like a modern recipe for success.

Oh, and we can have five Naismith awards in crystal shaped like giant teardrops to award to all the different specialty positions.

 

[Aluminny69]

Not really. PKs in soccer are more akin to basketball's technical fouls than common fouls. Common fouls in soccer do not result in PKs.

Well, common fouls in Soccer result in free kicks, and it is usually not the player that was fouled that takes the kick. So there's that.

And I would guess there are a similar amount of free kicks in soccer as there are free throws in basketball.

 

[Plebe]

Well, common fouls in Soccer result in free kicks, and it is usually not the player that was fouled that takes the kick. So there's that.

And I would guess there are a similar amount of free kicks in soccer as there are free throws in basketball.

And most free kicks are not realistically shots on goal. In most cases it's more about putting the ball in play to set up teammates, more akin to an in-bounds play in basketball (such as would happen after a common foul before reaching the bonus).

Soccer is also a game where scoring is so rare that a large number of contests end in scoreless ties. If scoring were as difficult in basketball, I could maybe see an argument for allowing teams to designate their free throw shooter for every FT.

 

[D J B]

Well, common fouls in Soccer result in free kicks, and it is usually not the player that was fouled that takes the kick. So there's that.

And I would guess there are a similar amount of free kicks in soccer as there are free throws in basketball.

Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but the point is well made.

 

[Aluminny69]

Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but the point is well made.

Sometimes it's difficult to compare apples to oranges, but they are both fruits, round, and good tasting, so there's that.

 

[The deacon]

I'm stating that in a close game in the 4th coaches are gonna know if she is on the floor and she has a bad free throw % they are going to foul. They can do this with a player off the bench to do it that hardly plays or someone that doesn't have a high foul count. If she doesn't improve over the span of the season I find it hard to believe that Geno is gonna risk putting her in crunch time minutes.

Noteworthy, while Dorka is a potential liability as a free-throw shooter with her career 54 percentage, Olivia is scarcely better at 55.8. Here's hoping they both find an improved touch this season, 'cause it's likely they'll both be spending a fair amount of time at the line.

By the way, this is my first post. I've long enjoyed reading the BY and have been a Huskies women's b-ball fan since Lobo, Rizzotti & Co. Even though, as the Deacon might give away, I have an allegiance to Wake Forest, come winter season I'm all in with the Huskies.

Thank you all for your thoughtful and inciteful posts over the years. At my advanced age, it feels mighty good to be a rookie again at anything!

 

[Stymie]

Noteworthy, while Dorka is a potential liability as a free-throw shooter with her career 54 percentage, Olivia is scarcely better at 55.8. Here's hoping they both find an improved touch this season, 'cause it's likely they'll both be spending a fair amount of time at the line.

By the way, this is my first post. I've long enjoyed reading the BY and have been a Huskies women's b-ball fan since Lobo, Rizzotti & Co. Even though, as the Deacon might give away, I have an allegiance to Wake Forest, come winter season I'm all in with the Huskies.

Thank you all for your thoughtful and inciteful posts over the years. At my advanced age, it feels mighty good to be a rookie again at anything!

What a nice, nice post.
I am a relatively recent addition here.
Hope you enjoy this forum as much as I have.
Really good crew.

 

[D J B]

Noteworthy, while Dorka is a potential liability as a free-throw shooter with her career 54 percentage, Olivia is scarcely better at 55.8. Here's hoping they both find an improved touch this season, 'cause it's likely they'll both be spending a fair amount of time at the line.

By the way, this is my first post. I've long enjoyed reading the BY and have been a Huskies women's b-ball fan since Lobo, Rizzotti & Co. Even though, as the Deacon might give away, I have an allegiance to Wake Forest, come winter season I'm all in with the Huskies.

Thank you all for your thoughtful and inciteful posts over the years. At my advanced age, it feels mighty good to be a rookie again at anything!

Welcome.