How could a 46.6 percent free throw shooter not be a liability at the stripe? It's been a bugaboo of sorts that has followed DeAndre Jordan around for the better part of his 11-year career in the NBA.
However, something after ten seasons clicked. It was almost as if Jordan had exorcized the demons of the past and unlocked a shooting stroke that was previously undiscovered at the foul line.
2018 was a tumultous season for Jordan after he was spent nine seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2008-2017 until the core of that team including: Chris Paul. and Blake Griffin were traded away to the Rockets and Pistons respectively.
Jordan was the last piece of the Clippers high-flying act left, but even he eventually signed a deal to join the Dallas Mavericks during the 2018 offseason. It was only three years before that Mavs owner Marc Cuban tried to whisk Jordan away from the Clippers during free agency only to see the star center agree to a deal to join Dallas then change his mind to ultimately stay with Los Angeles.
There clearly weren't any bitter feelings on either side as the two eventually came together during last offseason, but after 50-games in a Mavericks uniform, Jordan became a part of the trade that sent him to the Knicks and saw them ship out Kristaps Porzingis.
In just 19 games with the Knicks last season, Jordan flourished averaging 15.1 ppg, 15.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest. All eye-popping numbers from a recently turned 31-year old. Jordan is a close friend of Kevin Durant and once it was announced that the former Warrior and Kyrie Irving were headed to Brooklyn, Jordan wasn't far behind them.
While Jordan is one of the most feared shotblockers, rebounders and dunkers in the league, his Achilles heel has always been his free throw shooting.
Jordan, whose stroke looked shooter-esque while at the stripe, shot as low as 37.5 percent at the line. He often received the Hack-a-Shaq treatment in the fourth quarters of close contents and teams saw him as an offensive liability.
Last year, Jordan achieved a remarkable feat by shooting 70.5 percent at the charity stripe. Now to put that in perspective, the NBA player's average free throw percentage is 79 percent. So while the center is still below average, he's nearly double his percentage since the earlier part of his career, which is a remarkable achievement.
If the newly inked Nets center can continue on this upward trend he will continue to shed the label of liability on offense and find more minutes on the court. The NBA rule change regarding the Hack-A-Shaq went into effect during the 2016 campaign and extended the rule whereby a team cannot intentionally foul a player inside of two minutes of the fourth quarter to now where it applies to all four quarters.
If an intenional foul takes place inside of two minutes of any quarter, the team that is fouled shoots one free throw and retains possession of the ball. This rule change, coupled with Jordan's diligent efforts to raise his percentage will make him a much more impactful player and an asset for the Nets this upcoming season.
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