Free throws an unexpected issue for Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
There have been a handful of games this season where if the Wizards had just made a few more free throws it could have been a much different story. That was the case in their 115-111 loss to the Bulls on Wednesday night when Washington shot 20-of-29 at the line, good for just 69%. Given they lost by four points, those misses loomed large.
It has been a season-long trend for the Wizards so far this year and arguably a surprising one. After 25 games, Washington ranks 24th in free throws made (17.2/g), 22nd in attempts (22.5/g) and 23rd in percentage (76.5). That’s a significant dropoff from recent seasons.
In fact, the Wizards have ranked in the top half of the league in free throws made each of the last five seasons before this one. Amid all their roster change during that time, one constant has been their ability to generate points at the free throw line.
Two years ago, in 2020-21, they were No. 1 in free throws made and the year before that they were sixth. Last season, they actually averaged nearly the same number of free throws per game (17.0) as they do this year, but they ranked 15th in the league, shooting the 12th-best percentage (78.3).
Overall numbers aside, several games have been clearly affected by the Wizards’ free-throw shooting. Three games ago, against the Brooklyn Nets, the Wizards shot 23-of-34 (67.6%) at the line and lost by nine points. On Nov. 23 in Miami, they shot 11-of-19 (57.9%) at the line against the Heat and lost by eight points. They also shot just 9-for-15 (60%) in an overtime loss to the Cavs in October.
This season, when the Wizards shoot 70% or worse from the free-throw line they are 2-6. They are 9-8 when they shoot over 70%. Not surprisingly, there is a correlation between wins and losses.
When it comes to the Wizards’ free throw shooting numbers this season, two oddities show up. One is the disparity between home and road. At home, the Wizards shoot the fourth-best percentage in the NBA (81.9%), while they are 27th in the league on the road (72.0%).
Washington also shoots a lot better late in games than they do early on. Amazingly, they are No. 1 in the league in fourth-quarter free throw percentage (85.8) despite being 27th in the first quarter (68.6).
As for who is to blame for their overall free throw shooting issues, no one stands out individually. Their worst free throw shooters don’t attempt them at a high volume and their most frequent free throw shooters hit at a solid percentage.
Over time it all may even out. The Wizards have been a good free-throw-shooting team for several years running and their top-two players, Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, each have shot over 80% from the line for their careers.
But for now, it seems like an area the Wizards could clean up and perhaps find a quick fix as they have lost seven of their last eight games. They have lost their last six on the road, but maybe if they start hitting their free throws, their fortune will change.
