Free throws are a huge part of the game of basketball. Often a game’s outcome can come down to a made or missed foul shot. When the game is on the line, an opposing will intentionally foul a player like Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan, because of their inability to make shots at the foul line.
Dwight Howard’s career free throw percentage is .573, which is horrendous. All NBA players should be able to make a free throw on a more consistent basis. There are some big men that can shoot. Kevin Love, Spencer Hawes, and Brook Lopez are all reliable when shooting free throws. A big men that can shoot is something rare in the NBA today.
One possible reason that big men are not as good shooters as guards is because coaches do not think it is their job to be a good shooter. Coaches say that the job of big men is to play good defense and get rebounds, not pull up from the three point line or be reliable when shooting free throws.
Others make excuses like “he has big hands/big limbs,” making it more difficult to shoot the ball. Centers are supposed to be tough, physical, and fight for rebounds. They are supposed to dunk and block shots, not hit shots from the outside.
Big men are even looked down upon if they can shoot, according to this article. They also do not practice shooting, because it is not their biggest job on the court. Shorter players, like guards, are not going to be able to grab a rebound over a 7 foot Center, so their job is to hit threes. Big men have other things to practice, like getting rebounds, boxing out opposing players, working on their post moves and inside game. This are things that guards are not expected to do.
A Center that shoots and is less physical is seen as weak and soft. Brook Lopez often gets ripped on for being shooting from the perimeter and not getting as many rebounds as a Dwight Howard of a DeAndre Jordan. Even his coach thinks that the big man needs to do more work on the glass than he does from the perimeter. The fact that big men are less successful on the line is due to what they’re expected to do on the court, not their actual ability.
Is there any biological reasoning as to why they may not shoot as well? I see you mentioned big hands and big limbs, but would that actually make a difference? I do not see how these physical characteristics would make a difference, but I am curious. There is no doubt that the big men place greater focus on different components of their games.
I think the biggest reason, like you said, big men are not great shooters, are they are typically playing within the paint, grabbing rebounds and putting up easy lay ups for points. Like most everything in life, repetition is key in gaining a new skill. Since big men are typically not focusing on shooting, their outside shooting can suffer. Here is an article on how repetition leads to success
I do not follow too much basketball, but this did cross my mind one or twice. So initially they are not able to shoot because they are trained differently?
This conclusion does seem logical. It is factual that centers are on the court for rebounds and defense but some large centers can shoot, so why can’t all of them shoot? Big limbs and hands could make it more difficult to shoot but is not an excuse. The undeniable fact is that practice makes perfect, or near too it. If a larger player put his mind too it he could improve his shooting just like any other aspect of the game.