More Players Should Not Be Embarrassed To Shoot Underhanded Free Throws

I saw this the other day and I meant to blog it but I got distracted. This right here is a video of Chinanu Onuaku, currently a member of the Portland Trail Blazers taking and making a FT on Saturday night. You’ll notice he went Granny-style, which we don’t often see in an NBA game anymore, something that Rick Barry made famous years and years ago

I’m pretty sure the PMT boys once asked Blake Griffin about this in an effort to get him to convince DeAndre Jordan to give it a try as a way to improve his FT percentage. Their argument was that guys are afraid to do this because “Granny Style” is a lame name. Fair point, and I agree Pimp Grip is way better, but don’t tell that to Chinanu Onuaku. He’s a guy that has been doing this since his days at Louisville, where he saw his FT shooting jump from 46% his first year, to 58% his second. He’s been doing it for years as you can see below in his appearance in the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championships as well

and then once he became a member of the Rockets, he stayed with it

For him it works because the way he looks at it,

Like a lot of big players, Onuaku’s large hands make it hard for him to acquire the requisite feel using traditional form. He is further plagued by an inability to set his elbow at a 90-degree angle. “I don’t know why, because I never broke it or anything, but it’s been a problem all my life,” he says. The more Onuaku repeats the underhanded motion, the better he gets. Pitino says he routinely makes around 70% in practice, and Onuaku says he once made 23 in a row.

So credit to Onuaku for staying true to himself, finding something that works and not succumbing to social pressure and changing his form. Has it paid off? Well, not to brag but he is currently a career 100% FT shooter in the NBA (4-4). Looks like it works to me. This got me thinking, what players should put their pride aside and join Chinanu Onuaku with this approach? Off the top of my head I’d probably go with this list

1. DeAndre Jordan (58%)

2. Steven Adams (55%)

3. Clint Capela (56%)

4. Ben Simmons (56%)

5. Dwight Howard (58%)

Basically if you shoot under 60% you should be required to at least give this a shot. I mean Rick Barry is 7th all time in FT% with 89% so there has to be something to it. I think it’s time more of these big men who can’t shoot FTs sack up just like Chinanu Onuaku did and drop that shit below their nuts when they get to the line. What’s the worst thing that can happen? People make fun of you on social media? They won’t if you make them I can promise you that.