Detroit Pistons: 3 biggest weaknesses of the Pistons roster

Detroit Pistons: Getting to the free throw line and missing

In a recent article about the biggest strengths the Pistons roster, I wrote about getting to the free throw line.

The Pistons were 5th in the NBA in free-throw attempts last season, which is something they should build on, as free throws are one way an offensively challenged team can get easy points.

The problem is that the Pistons don’t make them once they are there, and I am not sure this problem is going to get much better. The Pistons were 24th in the NBA in free throw percentage last season, shooting a pathetic 75 percent as a team.

The Pistons didn’t have a single player at 90 percent or above and only had five who were above 80 percent and most of those guys didn’t shoot very many.

The Pistons did lose Mason Plumlee, who is an awful free-throw shooter, but replaced him with Kelly Olynyk, who might be even worse. Getting rid of Blake Griffin will help, as will the addition of Cade Cunningham, who shot 84 percent from the line in college and should get better.

The Detroit Pistons will have at least six players who absolutely stunk from the line last season, so without internal improvement, they are going to be in this spot again. Let’s hope that guys like Saddiq Bey, Killian Hayes and Frank Jackson can get to the line more often, as they shoot above 80 percent at least.

This probably annoys me more than any other weakness, as children can shoot free throws, so it is unacceptable that professionals can’t make them at a higher rate.