The NBA playoffs provided a glimpse in to the importance of free throw shooting ability when the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers spent time hacking one another’s big men, forcing the ball in to the hands of Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan at the free throw line. Howard and Jordan ranked among the worst in the NBA in free throw percentage along with Andre Drummond, Mason Plumlee and Josh Smith. Each of those guys have fantasy value but you know that when you draft them, you’re going to be hurting in that category.
At the other end of the spectrum, there were the players that absolutely thrived at the line and really helped fantasy teams. Here is a look at the four players that led the NBA in free throw percentage last season.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Point Guard
If it wasn’t enough that the NBA MVP averaged 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 three-point shots and 2.0 steals in just 32.7 minutes per game, you can also factor in that he led the league in free throw percentage with a .914 mark last season. There is no denying that Curry is the most lethal shooter in the NBA right now and he absolutely dominated across the board including at the free throw line.
He also made it to the line 4.2 times per game while providing a healthy 3.9 free throws made per contest. He’s capable of more still as remember that he was rested in a number of fourth quarters in the regular season. In the playoffs, Curry actually made 4.6 free throws per game on 5.5 attempts.
J.J. Redick, Los Angeles Clippers
Shooting Guard
If there was one player who could challenge Curry in terms of the best free throw shooting percentage in the NBA next season, it would probably be Redick, who hit .901-percent of his free throws last season after posting a .915 mark the year before. Redick didn’t even come close to matching Curry in the other categories but he posted some respectable averages with 16.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.6 three-point shots per game.
His ability as a pure shooter consistently provides a boost in free throw percentage for the fantasy team he is on. While he’s mostly just a great source of threes and points, last season he showed that he’s able to help you out in a number of categories across the board.
Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers
Shooting Guard
Considering Jordan’s status as one of the worst free throw shooters in the NBA, it’s funny that Crawford comes in as the second of three Clippers players that posted a free throw percentage better than .900 last season. Crawford matched Redick’s .901 free throw percentage and he averaged 15.8 points, 2.5 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 three-point shots per game last season. Crawford is 35-years-old and there has been talk about the Clippers possibly trading him but he should remain an elite free throw shooter regardless of where he plays next season. If he stays in Los Angeles, you have to worry about his minutes a little bit after he played just 26.6 in the regular season last year – his lowest in 13 years.
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Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
The last of three Clippers shooters that ranked third, fourth and fifth respectively on the list of the NBA’s top free throw shooters is also the best pure fantasy performer of the group. Paul, who averaged 19.1 points, 10.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 three-point shots per game last season, also posted a career-high .900 free throw percentage. With Jordan back in the fold for the Clippers next season, we can expect Redick, Crawford and Paul to make up for it by ranking among the best free throw shooters in the NBA next season and three players that can help your fantasy team in that category.
