Oden's FT%

[Tyrant of Ants]

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[BengalDuck]

Bigs in HS don't need to focus on other parts of their game because they're bigger than everyone else. Thus, they can practice shooting FT's a lot.

In college but moreso the pros, bigs need to work on a lot of other things. And they get really really beat up and tired. Thus, FT shooting goes down.

Generally.

It's a combo of A-ish (not working on FT shooting as much as he could/should/used to) and most likely C (low sample + nerves + rookie/learning curve of game)..

I'd wager Oden will be a 70% FT shooter in his career. He has a very good form but he'll never be Yao Ming.

 

[mgb]

Just as long as he's not a Shaq. FT wise anyway. I think he'll be find at the line. He does have a nice shot.

 

[bodyman5001]

I don't see him use his knees in his ft form now. I think it might be mental.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Maybe have him shoot them with his left hand?

 

[alex42083]

I think Greg's been pretty decent at the line this year. He definitely has good form for a big man, and I think it's my least worry about his game right now.

 

[bodyman5001]

That's the thing. Oden has so many things he needs to learn and catch up on. Free throw shooting should NOT be one of them. He had the whole fucking year to work on it. If he was never a good free throw shooter to begin with, fine. My beef with him is moot. But there is no excuse if he didn't make free throw shooting a priority when he was out.

This points once again to the mental aspect of the game. The guy is under immense pressure, give him some time. Confidence will come.

 

[Fogojam]

Man, what else can you guys nitpick?

Put yourself in his shoes. Think you'd handle it well? As has been said before its a mental issue right now.

 

[alex42083]

He's shooting 62%. I don't know if I'd call that decent.

Well, I'm just trying to grab at straws for anything positive for Greg. And he hasn't really hurt us with his FT shooting, and I don't feel like it's Shaq or Dudley going up to the line when he's shooting.

You're right, it should be. Yet, it is another aspect of the game GO needs to work on when he had the whole year to work on it.

I remember when Amare went through his MF surgery. He came back being a better free throw shooter and added a mid range game. GO could have really improved on his free throw shooting being out a year.

I'm not too worried about it. Sure, he could've shot 100 FTs a day for the past year, but it's still different shooting in an arena in front of 20,000 screaming fans. Once he stops freaking himself out on the court, he'll feel more comfortable on the court and his FT shooting will come.

 

[BengalDuck]

In games where Oden has attempted 6 FT's or more (had a chance to get in rhythm), he's 35-46 ~76%.

 

[BengalDuck]

In games where Oden has attempted 6 FT's or more (had a chance to get in rhythm), he's 35-46 ~76%.

Wow, what a great point!

/thread.



He's (roughly) an 80% shooter in games where his FT shooting matters.

 

[¹²³]

From NBADraft.net:

Aran Smith - 7/9/2005
Strenths: Incredibly fluid athlete for a 7 footer Tremendous speed in the open court A center with his agility and talent comes along roughly every 8-10 years Extremely quick and explosive Enormous potential His game has improved significantly from his sophomore to junior seasons Starting to understand how to use his body and how dominant he can be Big defensive presence, and a terrific shot blocker with great length, timing and instincts Excellent rebounder Soft touch around the basket Has developed a decent turnaround hook with his right hand Very good passer with nice court vision (averaged 3.7 assists per game as a junior) Quality kid with a great attitude Very coachable, listens and wants to improve Team player with a winners mentality Improving on a daily basis Decent free throw shooter at 64% but needs to and should improve upon it (improved considerably from 51% as a sophomore)

Link

It seems that he never was a 80 % FT shooter.

 

[MrJayremmie]

I think by the end of the year, he will be close to a 70% ft shooter, which is great for a center, imo.

 

[B-Roy]

He's somewhat of a streaky free throw shooter, which is kind of odd.

 

[Entity]

That article includes his junior year, but not his senior year. He shot 78.3% from the line his senior year on 123 of 157 shots. I don't know if that was just an unusually good streak or not, but it did happen.

 

[MrJayremmie]

What makes you think so? He had a whole year off where he can work on it. His FT% is the same now as it was in H.S. and college.

Well, he is like 62% now, and I think the more he uses his legs in his free throws, and the more he gets comfortable, I think he will imrpove by a couple percent.

Its not like a huge sample size for him. Its been like 15ish games.

 

[blue32]

I'm sure the booing and all the other crap is affecting his game, including his FT's.
He'll come around....think about the pressure on the guy.....he's a laid back dude, and all this press has got to fuck with your head man.

 

[blue32]

Yeah, but the NBA is a much bigger stage......and these guys are much much older than him too; think about it...number 1 pick, best big man in a long-ass time, super expectations......

idk, its all pretty damn stacked not in his favor...

 

[alex42083]

I'm not sure I can totally buy that. GO's been in pressure packed situations before. I'm sure he's been booed plenty by opponent fans.

He's played one season of real ball (in college), which lasted like 30 games. He's played 16 NBA games. Are we really banging on this guy for his FT percentage at this juncture? His FT shooting hasn't hurt us in any games. No one is using any Hack-A-Oden strategy. Greg will get better.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

My experience is that it is very hard to accurately shoot FT when you are exhausted. I'm foolishly optimistic that when he gets into better shape, his FT% will naturally improve.