Rick Barry doesn’t want to hear about players who struggle with free throws.
Barry, an NBA Finals MVP and one of the greatest players of all time, not to mention one of the greatest from the charity stripe, doesn’t understand players who shoot worse than 70 percent from the line.
Jonathan Bradley of Fox Sports captured Barry’s thoughts on the matter:
“The bottom line is, they have an aversion to wanting to try the underhanded free throw,” Barry said. “I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t try anything to try to get better and I don’t think your personal pride should come into play.
“There’s stuff out there to help these guys if they would look for it and be willing to get better. It’s pathetic if you can’t shoot 70 percent from the free throw line.”
While it’s funny to think about someone like LeBron James (67 percent) shooting free throws underhanded, the man has a point—why not do whatever it takes to improve?
In theory, hitting an uncontested shot while standing still shouldn’t be too difficult. Granted, the environment, pressure and fatigue come into play each time. But a lack of improvement on a year-to-year basis through practice would seem to clean up the issue.
But apparently not. “Pathetic” is a strong word, but Barry is certainly one of the guys permitted to say whatever he wants about today’s game.
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