Clippers center DeAndre Jordan has the worst free-throw shooting percentage in NBA history
Clippers fans have been watching center DeAndre Jordan throw bricks from the line for years.
But here’s something they might not have been aware of: Jordan hasn’t just been bad from the line. Los Angeles’ young big man is actually the worst free-throw shooter in NBA history.
Among players who have reached age 26 in the NBA and have attempted 1,000 free throws, none have been worse than Jordan. It’s not a small gap, either: Jordan’s percentage, .422, is almost 100 points lower than the second-worst free throw shooter, former Pacers and Blazers center Dale Davis (.520).
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That’s so bad, it’s almost impressive.
At this rate, we’re going to need to rename “Hack-a-Shaq” after him… actually, you know what, “Hack-a-Jordan” doesn’t have the same ring to it. But it does work just as well for opposing teams.
The San Antonio Spurs tried the strategy on Jordan last week, sending him to the line 28 times in the game. That’s the third most free throws anyone has attempted in a game since 2000. How many did Jordan hit? 10.
Oddly, not many teams seem to have adopted this strategy. While Shaquille O’Neal led the league in free throw attempts five times in his prime, Jordan has never even been in the top ten… and Jordan would love to have Shaq’s career percentage of .527.
Amazingly, Jordan is not the worst free-throw shooter this season; not even close. That dubious honor belongs to the Mavericks’ Rajon Rondo, who has hit a dumbfoundingly low 28 percent from the line.
Despite his free-throw woes, Jordan is in the middle of a career year for L.A., averaging 11.2 points per game while leading the NBA with 14.0 rebounds per game. He’s been one of the biggest reasons the Clippers have kept afloat in the West while Blake Griffin has missed the past few weeks with an injury.
But it could spell trouble for the Clippers if more teams adopt San Antonio’s strategy come playoff time. Missed free throws can waste a lot of promising possessions, and while the Clippers actually one that Spurs game by four points, it’s not hard to imagine Jordan’s misses at the line costing them in key moments.
However, it’s never too late to work on something like this, and maybe Jordan can improve his free throw shooting as the years go by. At this point, though, he’s a long way from even making half of his shots from the line, so he has a long way to go if he wants to remove that dubious distinction as the worst free throw shooter in NBA history.
(H/T Wall Street Journal)
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