Official Detroit Pistons thread

[Kstat]

It has to be embarrassing to Drummond that Baynes has been playing key minutes down the stretch.

His FTs weren't the reason why he didn't play down the stretch last night. He simply sucked.

[ghandi]

He's not playing any defense at all now...Not srue if he is just sulking or what but he has been terrible on the defensive end the last few games...At least Baynes tries.

[froot loops]

Hand size isn't isn't just an excuse, it makes it harder. My son is a pretty good free throw shooter, you put a girls ball in his hand and it is like kryptonite.

The problem is people are trying to find a magic bullet. As if there was one thing that makes it hard or one thing that all they had to do and it would fix it. The release point is an issue, but one that can be overcome. The hand size is an issue, but it can be overcome. There are other things but add them all together and you have something that makes it harder.

Not all 7 footers have huge hands. Somebody mentioned Dirk, I seem to recall that he doesn't have huge hands. Shaq had huge hands.

Lastly, I wonder if the people criticizing are real good free throw shooters themselves.

[CGVT]

I was ;)

Can still hit 70% in the driveway, too

[DanO]

I use to hit 80% Still can at the gym.

[Kstat]

I could not make FTs to save my life (or win prizes) but tried copying grant hill's form and I actually topped out at roughly 75%.

[chemiclord]

Hand size isn't isn't just an excuse, it makes it harder. My son is a pretty good free throw shooter, you put a girls ball in his hand and it is like kryptonite.

The problem is people are trying to find a magic bullet. As if there was one thing that makes it hard or one thing that all they had to do and it would fix it. The release point is an issue, but one that can be overcome. The hand size is an issue, but it can be overcome. There are other things but add them all together and you have something that makes it harder.

Not all 7 footers have huge hands. Somebody mentioned Dirk, I seem to recall that he doesn't have huge hands. Shaq had huge hands.

Lastly, I wonder if the people criticizing are real good free throw shooters themselves.

I mentioned Dirk. And his hands aren't exactly small either. Pau Gasol's hands are as big (if not bigger) than Drummond's and he hits at an 80% clip from the free throw line.

The best research I could find regarding it is here (http://ascreamingcomesacrossthecourt...ze-part-2.html), which pretty much finds no compelling correlation between hand size and free throw aptitude. The difference regarding hand size in regards to a basketball simply isn't THAT significant, a couple percentage points in aggregate at best.

I still think, in the effort to figure out what is "wrong", that we're over-complicating the issue when a perfectly reasonable, simpler answer exists.

Andre Drummond simply isn't a good shooter. From anywhere, really, much less the free throw line.

[Kstat]

Dirk is an exceptional shooter anyway. His FTs are high velocity moons balls that would clang hard off the iron on contact. His form is so pure that the ball never hits the rim.

It's no different than Laimbeer's line drives that land softly at a horribly unforgiving angle. You'd never teach a smaller player to shoot the ball other either form, but great shooters make it work for them.

[Mainevent]

Heh, in the gym or driveway, I was always 85-90%, actually won a regional FT competition as a youngster. But game situations make things so different. You're racing around playing the game then you need to pause, catch your breath, slow everything down an take 1 or 2 shots (not 10 in a row in rhythm). And that's not even factoring in nerves during tense situations or taking the shot in front of a crowd. I'd say I was more like 70% in game situations, at best.

[CGVT]

I shot 89% as a senior in high school-still have the plaque that I got at the awards banquet. Ha!

Shot low 80s the year before but didn't shoot as many FTs

[Mainevent]

Nice, though I've heard peach baskets get you a softer bounce.

[CGVT]

Nice, though I've heard peach baskets get you a softer bounce.

Ha! It was a while ago. No break away rims and no three point shot. For two years I was in high school the dunk was illegal (not that it would have mattered for me)

[Kstat]

Heh, in the gym or driveway, I was always 85-90%, actually won a regional FT competition as a youngster. But game situations make things so different. You're racing around playing the game then you need to pause, catch your breath, slow everything down an take 1 or 2 shots (not 10 in a row in rhythm). And that's not even factoring in nerves during tense situations or taking the shot in front of a crowd. I'd say I was more like 70% in game situations, at best.

Yeah any idiot can shoot FTs fresh in an empty gym. I don't even count that. Game conditions is what you should always go by.

[nhwbrooklyn]

I was always a roughly 50% ft shooter myself and very streaky (yet I could hit 3 pointers at above par).

[nhwbrooklyn]

Drummond should be that guy that finally decides to use the underhanded technique championed by Rick Barry. It would be both hilarious and awesome.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/08/28/rick-barry-is-perplexed-why-players-dont-shoot-free-throws-underhanded-audio/