NBA Stars, Fix Your Free Throws With One Easy Trick

Over the last generation of NBA basketball, players have reimagined nearly every method of scoring points. Top dunkers have evolved from lumbering behemoths to athletes who can sprint the length of the floor in a few strides. The 3-point shot has progressed from a complementary feature to the sport’s central tactic. The game’s best passer, a title once reserved for point guards, is a center.

The exception is the free throw, stuck more or less where it’s always been. Even the league’s worst shooters, with rare exceptions, settle for the norm after they draw a foul. They tinker instead of overhauling, trying for higher arc and a more consistent release, logging the same lousy numbers.