Free throw shooting is one of the most important fundamentals of the game. You often see young ballers taking hundreds of shots from the charity stripe to polish their shooting from while they’re growing up.
You must think an NBA player should be automatic from the line, but truth to be told, it seems like some of them just can’t seem to score a freebie even if their mother’s life is on the line, something that takes a major toll on their team’s chances.
Some of those players are big men, but things get even worse when we’re talking about guards or forwards. Today, we’re going to let you know the top 10 worst free throw shooters in the league as of now.
10. LeBron James
Yes, believe it or not, the King is one of the worst free throw shooters in the world right now. He’s changed his stance, routine and form hundreds of times, and even stated that he could shoot 90+% from the line if he wanted. Well, let’s get it done, James. So far, he’s shooting 67% from the line.
9. Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert has really improved as a free throw shooter, but he’s still one of the worst in the league. He’s not asked to do that much either way in the offensive end, but should he finally improve that, he’d be an elite two-way player. So far, he’s shooting just 66.1% from the charity stripe.
8. Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is having a great season when it comes to overall stats, but he’s also having one of his worst seasons ever when if we talk about shooting, especially from the line. This season, Westbrook has bricked freebie after freebie, connecting in just 65.6% of his 6.5 attempts per game.
7. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson looked like a stud a couple of seasons ago because of his ability to do a little bit of everything, but his development has quite stalled as of late. Moreover, his free throw shooting has just been quite off this year. So far, he’s shooting a terrible 65% from the free throw line.
6. Montrezl Harrell
Montrezl Harrell has really stepped up as a scorer this year, being one of the frontrunners to take home the 6th Man Of the Year Award. Still, he needs to put a lot of work on his free throw shooting if he wants to keep improving as a player. This year, he’s knocked down just 197 of his 313 attempts from the line, which is good for 62.9%.
5. Clint Capela
Clint Capela is constantly at the top of the league’s leaders in field goal percentage, but truth to be told, it looks like he could actually shoot better from the floor than from the line, even though he’s slightly improved on that regard lately. This season, Houston’s big man is shooting 62.6% from the line.
4. Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons is just ridiculous. He’s an outstanding playmaker and a dominant scorer, yet he can’t seem to develop a consistent jump shot. He’s literally a jump shot away from becoming one of the best players in the league. This season, the ‘sophomore’ point forward has just netted 198 of his 338 attempts, which is good for 58.6%.
3. Andre Drummond
Andre Drummond’s Achilles heel has always been his free throw shooting. Drummond is arguably the most dominant rebounder in the league and has even improved as a defender, but he’s still pretty much terrible from the line. This season, the Piston’s big man is shooting a horrid 56.3% from the line.
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2. Steven Adams
Steven Adams is one of the most underrated big men in the league. He plays hard, put his body on the line, sets picks, boxes out and has even stepped up as a scorer for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Either way, he’s just unable to consistently knock down from the charity stripe, netting just 54.5% of his attempts.
1. Willie Cauley-Stein
And last but not least, we find Willie Cauley-Stein. The Kings’ big man is having a breakout season, especially as a shot-blocker, but his free throw shooting has been flat out embarrassing. The Kings want to make it to the playoffs, but Cauley-Stein has become a liability in late game situations with his 54.1% shooting from the charity stripe.
