Caron Butler is mum on the subject. He doesn’t want to jinx his run of 54 straight free throws, a team record and the most in the NBA this season. Wizards coach Eddie Jordan also toes the line.
“If he doesn’t want to talk about it, I won’t talk about it,” said Jordan. “So we’ll just be silent about that.”
With Washington (21-17) set to face Dallas (27-12) for a Martin Luther King Day matinee today at Verizon Center, this can’t be ignored: It’s not just Butler. The Wizards as a whole are s hooting free throws better than
ever. Their 79.9 percent clip is third in the league and exceeds the franchise single-season high of 77.9 percent, set in 2003-04.
Credit shooting guru Dave Hopla, hired in the offseason as an assistant coach after a year as a consultant at Toronto. Hopla, 50, has built a career on teaching and demonstrating the art of the shot. According to his Web site, Hopla once made 1,234 straight free throws and 78 straight NBA-distance 3-pointers. Hopla’s influence has been particularly evident on center Brendan Haywood, a notoriously poor freethrow shooter, who bottomed out at 54.8 percent last year, but now is shooting 73.0. In six previous seasons, Haywood had never shot better than 63.3.
“For the guys that play major minutes, the worst free throw shooter is me, and I’m shooting [73] percent,” said Haywood. “Some guys are naturally good free throw shooters, but for other guys like me and Andray Blatche, coach Hopla has helped us out with our form and concentration.”
The Wizards have honed their accuracy as the season has progressed.
Their 83.3 percent over the last 10 games is the best in the NBA.
It also translates to wins. Friday’s victory over New York was aided by a 14-of- 15 performance from the line.
In recent wins by five and seven points over Boston, the Wizards hit a combined 54 of 60 free throws. Accuracy at the line was particularly crucial in an overtime win last weekend at Atlanta where the Wizards went 22 of 24 while the Hawks made just 12 of 22.
In each of their last 11 wins, the Wizards have shot a better freethrow percentage than their opponents, while in six of their last seven losses, the Wizards have been outshot at the line.
As good as Butler (90.8) has shot free throws this season, he’s only third best on the team. Reserves Darius Songaila (96.4) and Roger Mason (96.2) rank Nos. 1 and 2 in the NBAamong players with at least 25 attempts.
But for the most compelling evidence of Hopla’s magic, consider the performance of Haywood with his less-than-buttery stroke
“I don’t have a different routine,” said Haywood. “I just have a few key things that I focus on. If I miss short or long, it doesn’t matter to me. I just focus back on mechanics.
It’s about repetitions, just do it the same form every time.”
