Get Back on Track from the Free Throw Line

It has been a legitimate struggle for the Pacers to not only consistently convert on free throws, but to actually draw fouls enough to get to the line frequently.

As previously noted, the Pacers are not approaching their half-court offense in a way that necessarily promotes getting to the free throw line quite like other teams in the league. Their lack of efficiency is another issue on top of a lack of volume too.

Indiana is currently shooing on average 14.9-of-21.3 (69.8 percent) on free throws. They rank 29th in makes per game, 26th in attempts per game, and 28th in percentage. When adjusted for pace, they have a 0.251 free throw attempt rate (T-20th).

One player in particular that has struggled with free throw scoring has been Victor Oladipo. Naturally, he leads the team in attempts per game (4.6) but he has struggled with his efficiency since he is shooting only 70.3 percent.

There has been an improvement from Oladipo so far during the month of November but the overall figure has not yet reached a normal level. For reference, he is shooting 84.8 percent on 5.5 attempts per game this month compared to shooting just 54.8 percent on 3.9 attempts per game in October.

The only rotation player on the team that is shooting at least 80 percent from the free throw line is Doug McDermott and he is averaging only 0.7 attempts. That’s a recipe for struggle in this area as a team.

The only player aside from Oladipo that has gotten to the free throw line frequently has been Domantas Sabonis with an average of 4.1 attempts per game. His aggressive style near the basket gets him to the free throw line but outside of him, Indiana’s role players do not necessarily play in a way that often draws fouls.

If the Pacers do want to increase their volume of free throw attempts, it will be important that they become less reliant on mid-range pull-ups. They are going to need to create more sequences when they are getting downhill going toward the basket.

While it is more challenging to adjust how the half-court offense is run, having perimeter players recover their accuracy closer to last season’s figures could help. Aside from Oladipo’s struggles, Bogdanovic is shooting only 75.6 percent (down by 11.2 percent), Collison is shooting only 67.9 percent (down by 20.3 percent), and Evans is shooting only 67.9 percent (down by 10.6 percent).

There are a few of Indiana’s lesser frequent free throw shooters that have struggled too. For reference, Young is shooting only 43.5 percent (down by 16.3 percent) and Joseph is shooting only 42.9 percent (down by 31.6 percent). While they aren’t high volume free throw shooters, everything adds up.

The free throw shooting situation of the Pacers has a lot of room for improvement. Their play style does not promote frequent trips to the free throw line but their accuracy could very well bounce back as the season progresses.

Next Up: Establish a Legitimate Secondary Scorer