As of right now, Brad Wanamaker is having the second-best free-throw shooting season of any currently active player, sitting at 93 percent, behind only Stephen Curry’s 93.4 percent back in the 2010-11 season. It goes without saying that he’s best free throw shooter this season, a full percentage and a half ahead of scrubs like Khris Middleton and Devin Booker.
This record is kind of meaningless, because everyone knows that if Blake Ahearn was still in the league (as he really should be), then none of these people would have any sort of free-throw records because he would have them all. But still, good on Wanamaker for showing unusual confidence and poise at the line, despite being a lumpy-faced Euro-team-hopping ancient dude.
The hallmark of a great NBA player is that they leverage their strengths in order to help their team win. But in this case, I’m not detecting that Wanamaker is being especially aggressive when it comes to trying to draw fouls. If he was really dedicated to the cause of Celtics wins, he would start flopping. All the time. Because when he gets to the line, it’s basically a guaranteed two points.
Luckily, he has a flop-prone teammate ready and willing to give him some pointers: Marcus Smart. If Smart’s flopping ability could be put, even in part, into Wanamaker, the Celtics could be looking at five or six extra points per game. That elevates them from “pretty good team” to “championship contender”, and the only thing holding them back is Wanamaker’s honorability.