Detroit Pistons: Two issues the Pistons must fix before next season
Detroit Pistons: What is the Pistons’ team free throw percentage?
One of the reasons the Pistons lost so many close games is that they are terrible from the free-throw line. The Pistons shot just 75.9 percent as a team, which is good for 24th in the NBA.
The NBA free-throw average is around 78 percent, so Detroit’s 75.9 is below league average, and is only this high because they have guys like Jerami Grant and Saddiq Bey who shoot a high percentage that makes their overall team numbers look somewhat respectable.
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The Pistons have nine players who shoot below 73 percent, which is unacceptable for a professional basketball team.
This is even more infuriating because the Pistons are 5th overall in free-throw attempts this season. They are getting to the line enough, they just aren’t making many of them.
The Pistons are leaving a ton of points at the free-throw line and it is costing them games, as we saw several times down the stretch.
Good teams make free throws, it is that simple. It is hard enough to put teams away in the NBA under optimum circumstances, but if you are routinely leaving 10-12 points on the free-throw line, it gets even tougher.
If the Detroit Pistons want to sniff the playoffs next season they have to improve their overall team free-throw percentage.