Free throw shooting and Rajon Rondo

[vinnie]

It is so hard for me to read this thread and see all the excuses for Rondo's poor free throw shooting. Sorry, but there is absolutely no excuse and I agree with many of the posters that the fact he cannot make a free throw is having an impact on  his total offensive game. As I said earlier, this better get fixed quickly, or this could become a huge problem for this team.

[kozlodoev]

Go shoot free throws for awhile.  Take 100 or so, whatever you want.  Now alter your shot... release faster, or higher, or alter your stance.  You'll probably miss quite a few of them.  Shoot 100 more.  Even if you practice that new form for awhile, you're still likely to miss them a lot.

So he did this all summer and all preseason. How long do we have to wait, until he's 29 or something?

[pengaloo]

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this from a guard at the NBA level.  Basically, Rondo has switched brains with Chuck Knoblauch.

I know there's always a first for everything. But what's more likely is that because we haven't ever seen anything like this, it's probably just a short-term aberration.

[Redz]

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this from a guard at the NBA level.  Basically, Rondo has switched brains with Chuck Knoblauch.

I know there's always a first for everything. But what's more likely is that because we haven't ever seen anything like this, it's probably just a short-term aberration.

I don't know, Knoblauch went from a pretty capable second baseman over the course of a long career to not being able to hit the broad side of a barn pretty suddenly.

Rondo has always been a crappy free throw shooter.  The sample size here is pretty darn small to say he's gone from crappy to complete disaster.  Either way he's never been a good free throw shooter to begin with.

[Roy Hobbs]

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this from a guard at the NBA level.  Basically, Rondo has switched brains with Chuck Knoblauch.

I know there's always a first for everything. But what's more likely is that because we haven't ever seen anything like this, it's probably just a short-term aberration.

I don't know, Knoblauch went from a pretty capable second baseman over the course of a long career to not being able to hit the broad side of a barn pretty suddenly.

Rondo has always been a crappy free throw shooter.  The sample size here is pretty darn small to say he's gone from crappy to complete disaster.  Either way he's never been a good free throw shooter to begin with.

Well, if a player can go from excellent to terrible, there's a chance they can go from poor to terrible, too, right?

My concern with Rondo is the psychological aspect.  If you remember the stories from the summer, former coaches have said that Rondo obsesses about everything on the court, running bad plays over and over in his head.  If he's obsessing over his free throw shooting, that could potentially be a major cause for concern, as it's not just going to fix itself.

12 free throws is a small sample, but when you've missed nine in a row, it takes on some added significance.

[kozlodoev]

Rondo has always been a crappy free throw shooter.  The sample size here is pretty darn small to say he's gone from crappy to complete disaster.  Either way he's never been a good free throw shooter to begin with.

Wasn't be supposed to be improving?

He showed stretches last season when he looked like he might be a .700 FT shooter eventually. I don't know what he did last summer (pun intended), but even with a small sample size, how far he has regressed is mind-boggling.

And he doesn't look like he's been changing his stroke an awful lot. He still cocks the ball behind his right ear, and keeps it against his entire palm.

[Redz]

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this from a guard at the NBA level.  Basically, Rondo has switched brains with Chuck Knoblauch.

I know there's always a first for everything. But what's more likely is that because we haven't ever seen anything like this, it's probably just a short-term aberration.

I don't know, Knoblauch went from a pretty capable second baseman over the course of a long career to not being able to hit the broad side of a barn pretty suddenly.

Rondo has always been a crappy free throw shooter.  The sample size here is pretty darn small to say he's gone from crappy to complete disaster.  Either way he's never been a good free throw shooter to begin with.

Well, if a player can go from excellent to terrible, there's a chance they can go from poor to terrible, too, right?

My concern with Rondo is the psychological aspect.  If you remember the stories from the summer, former coaches have said that Rondo obsesses about everything on the court, running bad plays over and over in his head.  If he's obsessing over his free throw shooting, that could potentially be a major cause for concern, as it's not just going to fix itself.

12 free throws is a small sample, but when you've missed nine in a row, it takes on some added significance.

Well, maybe once he hits one he'll be like Big Papi after he hit first home run of the season.  He should try shooting them underhand or something.

I remember one year in youth league I developed an really nice soft free throw shot using one hand.  I hit like 15 in a row in games, then I started thinking about it too much and the touch was gone.

Work it out Rajon!

[Bankshot]

He's afraid. The kid is flat out afraid of getting to the line. I'm pretty sure this is also why he has been less then aggressive in attacking the rim.

It's unfortunate when you have a player who can't do something, but it's flat out annoying when you have a player who can do something very well... but just he refuses to do it. Rajon Rondo could attack his defender and get to the line at will, and rack up some AND1's but he just isn't interested in doing that.

Agree.  He's afraid.  Same thing happened to Antoine.  Antoine totally avoided contact so he wouldn't have to go to the line and display his horrible free throw shooting. Same reason I think Rondo has taken a huge step backwards offensively.

Think giving him that contract might be having the opposite effect.  He's not more relaxed, but under more pressure to prove he's worth the contract.

Toine was never this poor at foul shooting.

Wrong. Toine was a horrible free throw shooter by the time he can back to the Celtics the second time.  I believe he was hovering around 50%.

[ToppersBsktball10]

Rondo and free throw shooting doesn't mix. His form his horrible.

[Roy Hobbs]

Wrong. Toine was a horrible free throw shooter by the time he can back to the Celtics the second time.  I believe he was hovering around 50%.

True.  Antoine had one sub-50% season, and several others below 60%.

Of course, those numbers are still substantially better than what Rondo's shooting now, which is what I think the original point was.  I doubt anybody expects Rondo to finish the season 25% - 30%, though.

[moiso]

How about Tommy defending Rondo's foul shooting.  "That was a perfect free throw except it was a little long."  Ridiculous quote, the shot was long and like a foot wide, also.

[Kiorrik]

This is something Doc and Rondo have to work out tbh. Doc has to force Rondo to do his job (better) and Rondo has to actually do it.

[mgent]

How about Tommy defending Rondo's foul shooting.  "That was a perfect free throw except it was a little long."  Ridiculous quote, the shot was long and like a foot wide, also.

His first shot (the one Tommy was referring to) wasn't wide.  I thought it was going in.

I believe the second shot was wide, although it did have a soft touch.

I have faith in Rondo.  Give him a chance to gain some confidence and nail down his new shot.  At this point I think it's a mental issue.  I know I get nervous when Rondo goes to the line, so I can imagine how he must feel.

[Kiorrik]

Said this in a different topic too:

I just wish Rondo would take more shots. A bit like baby did, a while back. He used to take that jumper all the time, even though at first, it wasn't falling at all.

They need to realize it's not a bad thing to fail at first, as long as you improve and get comfortable with the shot.

[csfansince60s]

Mark Price the current ATLANTA HAWK shooting coach: a quote from Cleveland.com from 5/09: "I'll always be a Cavalier".................hmmmmmmm......who was Rondo's shooting coach?..........maybe he messed him up on purpose (only kidding)