DeAndre Jordan becoming a respectable free throw shooter was one of the greater plot twists of last NBA season, and now Jordan is opening up about his improvement.
Appearing this week on Barstool Sports’ “Pardon My Take,” the new Brooklyn Nets center discussed his drastic progress from the charity stripe in 2018-19.
“For me, Hack-a-Shaq sucked a lot,” said Jordan, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “It sucked big time. I used to go hide [from opponents looking to foul]. [I thought] I don’t like this. But after years of that, I got a little better at it this past season and I’m shooting the ball a little bit better.
“I hit a lot of them in practice,” he went on. “I think it’s the 20,000 people [that affected me]. This season I actually didn’t think about anything other than shooting the basketball and it helped me out a lot.”
Jordan, a career 44.6 percent shooter from the line entering last season, skyrocketed to 68.2 percent with the Dallas Mavericks and a glowing 77.3 percent with the New York Knicks following a midseason trade.
The going got so good for the former All-NBA First Teamer Jordan that he once became a designated free-throw shooter. While he may not be that for the Nets next season, adding such a dimension to his game will allow him to stay on the floor and play unbridled as he chases his first NBA title with them.
