Dennis Smith Jr. would have had a lot more points if he could just hit free throws. He went 11 of 19, which is unacceptable for a guard. After detailed frame-by-frame analysis of each one of his attempts, both makes and misses, I think I have determined what’s wrong with his free throws and will now tell him about it. I’ve already sent my bill for 50 thousand dollars to him; shot doctors don’t come cheap, especially at the NBA. Are you listening, DSJ?
The problem with your free throws is this: your guide hand frickin’ LEAVES THE BALL before you shoot it, resulting in a one-handed push shot. You know who else does that in the NBA? Mason Plumlee, one of the worst free-throw shooters in the league. Here’s an idea, dumb-butt: try actually using your guide hand to GUIDE the ball instead of just having it flop around uselessly before the shot even gets in the air. Also, remember that I want my 50 thousand dollars in cash. DTB ain’t about that banking life.
Now that I’ve accurately diagnosed and hopefully fixed his busted free-throw mechanics, we can talk about all the good stuff he did against the Pistons. Points! Dunks! Threes! Assists! Flagrant frustration fouls! I wanted him to take it a step further against Blake Griffin, hopefully culminating in him punching Griffin like he was an equipment manager, but this was a good start.