Why are FT such a problem for the Celts & can they get better?

[PhoSita]

See thread title.  The biggest weakness of this team is they don't generate free throws and they tend to give up a lot of free throws.

Tonight, in an excellent game that the Celts lost by 4 points, the free throw attempt disparity was 34 to 15.


Yeah, I get that there were some calls that Celtics fans will gripe about.  But you can't put it all on the refs.  This is a trend going back years now over multiple iterations of the team.


Is it a Brad Stevens thing?  Is it a Danny Ainge thing?  Why can't the Celtics get to the line?  Or -- why do the Celts have so many players on the roster that don't generate free throws?

[gouki88]

I think it's partly due to our coaching, and partly due to our personnel. I think next year it will be less of a problem, as Hayward should be back to his old 6FTA per game self, but in the meantime I think it will be a massive problem. Kyrie doesn't get many calls, and the rest of our players get almost none.

JB sometimes does a good job getting to the line, but he sucks when he's there, so that's not quite a positive. Our offence is just not good at generating them, but I think they can (hopefully) get better

[PhoSita]

I think it's partly due to our coaching, and partly due to our personnel. I think next year it will be less of a problem, as Hayward should be back to his old 6FTA per game self, but in the meantime I think it will be a massive problem. Kyrie doesn't get many calls, and the rest of our players get almost none.

JB sometimes does a good job getting to the line, but he sucks when he's there, so that's not quite a positive. Our offence is just not good at generating them, but I think they can (hopefully) get better

I'm really curious why the offense is not good at generating them.

It feels like it must be peculiar to the system, but I'm not enough of a basketball x and o guy to explain why.

[RJ87]

Kyrie doesn't get alot of whistles for some reason. As I said in tonight's game thread, Danny and Co. should do what Daryl Morey and the Rockets do and send footage to the league after every game of missed calls on Kyrie. He goes to the basket enough.

[Phantom255x]

It’s hard when guys like Irving or Tatum drive, get mauled inside but the refs make no call, yet KD or Klay get grazed or poked gently inside and it’s immediately called 

Also Cousins killed us in that 3-4 minute stretch in the middle of the 4th despite picking up a 6th foul on 3 separate occasions (all no calls).

[Atzar]

We have a group of finesse players.  Kyrie, Tatum, Horford, Hayward.  Even Smart and Morris are jumpshooters, not slashers.  And this is fine - all of those players are skilled - but low FTs is one of the effects of that playstyle.  You take the bad with the good.

Brown is the exception, but he's not a good free throw shooter, has a small role off the bench, and hasn't learned how to consistently draw fouls when he drives.

[hwangjini_1]

for what it is worth, this year the celtics as a team are 28th in ft attempted per game. last year they were 16th.

add in boston being 3rd in 3 point shooting, that means fewer fouls on them. (but then again, houston is first in 3 pointers, and 3rd in ft. but but then then again again, they have harden who averages 12 per game. without him they probably average 5 to 6 fewer FT, which would place them very close to boston in FT.)

another factor, but i could not find the stats, maybe the style of defense boston plays. it may result in more FT by other teams.

maybe. 

[Csfan1984]

Well hopefully they learned from the Warriors that even if your goal is to space the other team out you can send cutters through for easy buckets or trips to the line a few times each quarter.

[keevsnick]

I think it's partly due to our coaching, and partly due to our personnel. I think next year it will be less of a problem, as Hayward should be back to his old 6FTA per game self, but in the meantime I think it will be a massive problem. Kyrie doesn't get many calls, and the rest of our players get almost none.

JB sometimes does a good job getting to the line, but he sucks when he's there, so that's not quite a positive. Our offence is just not good at generating them, but I think they can (hopefully) get better

I'm really curious why the offense is not good at generating them.

It feels like it must be peculiar to the system, but I'm not enough of a basketball x and o guy to explain why.

Part of it is who our ball handlers are. You are more likely to get a foul call if you get to the rim a lot and have a reputation of finishing at the rim. Kyrie has never been a guy who generates a lot of free throws, he prefers those amazing finesse finishes off glass and such. Rozier has been terrible at getting into the paint, only like 15% of his shots are within 3 feet of the basket and he isn't a good finisher. Smart also doesn't really get to the rim much again under 20% of his shots are taken there and he hasn't been a good finisher most of his career (this year is an exception on low volume). Hayward has no explosion, its too easy to defend him without fouling. Horford pops more than he rolls, and again not an explosive guy and has never drawn FT's. If you have guys initiator the offense who don't get into the paint, and aren't a threat to put the ball in the hoop when they do then no FT's. Tatum and Brown could both help in this regard, but they only get to run like maybe 1 PnR a week. Brown gets stuck watching hayward and Rozier form the corner.

[droopdog7]

I think it's partly due to our coaching, and partly due to our personnel. I think next year it will be less of a problem, as Hayward should be back to his old 6FTA per game self, but in the meantime I think it will be a massive problem. Kyrie doesn't get many calls, and the rest of our players get almost none.

JB sometimes does a good job getting to the line, but he sucks when he's there, so that's not quite a positive. Our offence is just not good at generating them, but I think they can (hopefully) get better

I think it’s ALL due to our personnel.  I mean, guys can try to be more aggressive and draw more fouls but in the end, they’ll always go back to what they are.

Al has never drawn a lot of fouls.  As good as kyrie is, he doesn’t either.  Tatum fades away to much so won’t be in his future either.  Brown okay but not good enough offensive player.  Smart not good enough either.  Morris?  Nope, another guys that fades away a lot.  Hayward? Not at this point.  Rozier, Baynes, Theis?  Of course not.

[droopdog7]

Kyrie doesn't get alot of whistles for some reason. As I said in tonight's game thread, Danny and Co. should do what Daryl Morey and the Rockets do and send footage to the league after every game of missed calls on Kyrie. He goes to the basket enough.

Its not for some reason; not a mystery.  They guys that get a lot of fouls are simply really really good at drawing them.  Think James Harden.  He’s as good at drawing fouls as he is scoring the ball.  PP used to be really good at it too.  These are not accidents.

Kyrie simply doesn’t have that in his game.  Contrast that IT, who although even smaller than kyrie, was also really good at drawing them.  Has zero to do with guys not getting calls.  Zero.

In fact, I would bet you that the guys that are good at drawing fouls are the guys the guys that also have more fouls missed against them.  It’s logical actually.

[MichiganAdam]

You really only have to want contact when you drive instead of trying to avoid it.  On a fast break you slow down on the last step so the trailer hits you from behind.  On a layout you lean into the defender instead of around it.  Sometimes you can be too good at getting by the defender.  You have to try for contact in today's NBA.  Strive for that 3 point play.

[Phantom255x]

I wouldn't be irked at the calls against us IF they were called both sides, but they clearly aren't. Our guys get mauled inside and yet never get called. Another player gets gently touched and we get called for it. Ridiculous. Even if it's a foul against us, why is it not called on the other end in favor of us when our guy gets touched or mauled while driving??