Until then, this secret formula will continue being one of the least-utilized, proven-to-work techniques in professional sports. If he continues to find success with the granny shot on the game’s biggest stage, then perhaps guys like DeAndre Jordan, Andre Drummond, and maybe even Dwight Howard will be more comfortable adopting. Wow, these dudes checking us in really do look like they. SEE ALSO: We Tried an Intense Cardio Workout at Orangetheory Fitness. So the question becomes whether or not Onuaku can usher in a new era of free-throw prosperity. Oh good, they have covered shoes to rent if you forgot yours. In 2002, then-rookie Chris “Birdman” Andersen shot granny style because he was playing with a chip fracture in his shooting wrist. Since George Johnson retired in 1986, we’ve seen exactly one player not named Chinanu Onuaku attempt an underhanded free throw in the NBA. Finally, had Shaquille O’Neal, whose career 52 percent from the free-throw line makes him look like Ray Allen compared to Jordan and Drummond, had adopted the underhanded method as a rookie, he could have scored nearly a whopping 3,000 more career points. Andre Drummond, because he’s only 23 years old (and therefore has a lot of free throws left in him), could score 1,500 points more than if he stuck with overhand shooting. George Johnson, over the course of his 14-year career, turned his 41.2 percent conversion rate at the line into 81.5 percent by shooting underhanded.Īssuming just half of Johnson’s degree of improvement, we can estimate that DeAndre Jordan would score nearly 1,000 more points over the remainder of his NBA career if he chose to switch to the granny shot. As a result, he led the league in free-throw attempts. Rick swears by its accuracy, but players hardly ever use it. What made matters worse was that teams began fouling on-purpose because they couldn’t stop around the rim and he was such a liability from the line (sound familiar?). NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry and son Canyon Barry talk about the tradition of underhand free throws. In his rookie and sophomore seasons, Chamberlain converted on just 54.2 percent of his free throws, a mark that put him among the league’s worst shooters from the charity stripe. But he had one kryptonite: free-throw shooting. In his first two pro seasons, he averaged an insane 38.0 points and 27.1 rebounds, along with an unofficial 10.6 blocks per game. Standing 7’1’’ and weighing 275 pounds, Chamberlain was unlike any player the league had ever seen before. 3 Straighten the arm with the ball in it, and move it to the side by shifting your arm at the shoulder, not the elbow. The ball should be at the height of your mid-thigh. Take for example, Hall of Fame center Wilt Chamberlain, who adopted the underhanded method for a brief time during his third NBA season in 1961-62. Bring the arm holding the ball across to the side of your body in front of your hitting arm. So if science and application prove that Barry’s method of free-throw shooting is so effective, why didn’t anyone follow his lead in the ’60s and ’70s? The answer is simple: The granny shot looks stupid.
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