Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
As free throws turn foul, consultant addresses issue
ATLANTA — Whether it is irony or something more tangible, the reality is this: With the Miami Heat having hired a full-time shooting consultant for the first time, the team is on pace to finish with the worst free-throw percentage in franchise history.
At a league-worst 66.5 percent from the foul line entering the game Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena, the Heat are one of only two teams below 70 percent. Their effeciency is also worse than the franchise all-time low of 67.2 percent, which came in Shaquille O’Neal’s first season with the team in 2004-05.
Coach Erik Spoelstra, however, said no parallels should be drawn to the hiring of Rob Fodor, who has spent recent days working with the Heat’s sidelined players at AmericanAirlines Arena.
“We actually haven’t restructured much,” Spoelstra said of specific changes in shooting mechanics.
“Guys are getting better. What we’re putting together now is a more coherent plan for each player. And each plan is not cookie-cutter. And I think that’s where we’re advancing maybe a little bit more than we have in the past.”
As was the case during O’Neal’s Heat tenure, centering game plans around centers also means dealing with the fallout of their notorious free-throw percentages, with Hassan Whiteside and Willie Reed weighing down the Heat’s overall percentage. The only other team below 70 percent from the line entering play Wednesday was the Hawks, who feature the foul-line struggles of center Dwight Howard.
“We’re dealing with, historically, guys that we’re trying to improve,” Spoelstra said of the addition of Fodor. “So if I saw a guy is shooting worse than they were shooting before, I’d re-evaluate.
“But I love the work that he’s doing, and I’ve always admired and learned a lot from him. And I think it’s really helped our player development.”
Fodor, known as “The Shooting Guy,” previously has worked at Spoelstra’s youth basketball academy, as well as working previously with Heat players such as Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Mike James, along with time with the Heat’s defunct WNBA affiliate, the Miami Sol.
As a means of comparison, the Heat shot .745 from the foul line last season to rank 23rd in the NBA, and .741 from the line two seasons ago, also ranking 23rd, an indication of a weakness that precedes the move to a dedicated shooting consultant.
Only three times in the Heat’s previous 28 seasons, however, have they closed below 70 percent from the line: that all-time low of .672 in 2004-05, as well as .687 in 1989-90 and .690 in 2006-07.
Spoelstra said the work at the foul line is ongoing and very real.
“We’re working at it,” he said. “We’re trying to get guys to improve a little bit each day, and we’re seeing that. It’s not necessarily happening in that final column, similar to our record, but we’re seeing improvement in player-development sessions.”