Steven Adams Should Bank In His Free Throws
A viral clip from the Korean Basketball League can change the world.
On my best days, I like to think of myself as a free-throw connoisseur.
I once watched hours and hours of LeBron James at the charity stripe just so I could count how many times he changed his routine (he used EIGHTEEN variations one season). One time, I took a magnifying glass to my laptop screen just so I could determine precisely how often Stephen Curry swished his free throws (turns out it was 84%). There was that time I got a NASA astronaut on the phone and asked him, of all things, how to cure Andre Drummond’s yips at the free-throw line (he recommended that Drummond wiggle his toes – “Works like a champ. Try it some time.”).
To me, free throws – and the idiosyncratic, superstitious routine leading up to every one of them – are like a basketball player’s fingerprint, their own little written signature. No two free throws are the same.
Except, apparently, those in the Korean Basketball League.
My guy Joe Posnanski texted me this video on Thursday night and I didn’t even need to click the link before I knew I was all the way in.
One click later, I AM HOOKED.
Nearly two million people have watched nine different clips of Korean basketball players making free throws. Why’d it go viral?
Because they’re BANKING THEM IN. ALL THE TIME.
I reached out to Fawcett who put together that video for the masses. He’s a basketball coach who consults with a few Division I teams, focusing on strategy and analytics. I asked him how the hell he stumbled upon this beautiful thing. His answer was lovely:
“I kind of have this FOMO where I’m scared there will be an offensive concept that’s revolutionary going on around the globe and me not knowing about it,” Fawcrett told me. “So I’m constantly watching other leagues to see if there is anything innovative I can bring to the college game. So, this time I thought I’d check out Korean basketball.”
Good thing he did, because now I’m thinking the bank shot is poised to make a comeback. Here’s why I think it could change everything for guys like Steven Adams.