Lakers head coach Frank Vogel recently ended the team’s practice, announcing every member on the roster had to make 25 free throws compulsorily.
Advertisement
The LA Lakers suffered yet another loss, this time at the hands of the Splash Brothers. The Bubble champions were handed the L, despite being up by six points with few minutes left in the final quarter. However, Warriors guard Klay Thompson ignited in the fourth quarter, hitting back-to-back 3s.
With 2.4 seconds remaining in the game, LeBron James had a chance to tie the game after Stephen Curry fouled him on a 3-point play. James missed the first free-throw but would make the second one. However, the Lakers superstar had to miss his third attempt on purpose to try to win the game.
Unfortunately, the Lakers couldn’t get the rebound, resulting in the Warriors getting the W. What followed was heavy criticism against James, who had ironically surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for NBA’s leading scorer, both regular-season and playoffs combined.
Following the loss against the Warriors, head coach Frank Vogel made every member on the roster sync 25 free throws before they concluded practice.
Frank Vogel sets the agenda for the Lakers post-LeBron James missing clutch free throws.
There is no doubt that James will go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history. The four-time Finals MVP’s resume speaks for itself. However, his free-throw shooting woes continue to haunt him. One of the biggest criticisms that James has faced in his career is his inability to shoot from the foul line.
The Lakers superstar’s free-throw shooting is a big question mark on his legacy, and the game against the Warriors was a testament to this. James is a career 73.4% shooter from the free-throw line, averaging almost 9-attempts throughout his career.
Though James may not be a marksman, free-throw shooting is an essential part of every ball player’s tool kit. During the recent game against the Warriors, LBJ shot 55.6% from the free-throw line, while the Lakers were 66.7% from the foul line.
James’ superstar teammate Anthony Davis shot 60% from the FT line having the following to say post-game.
Anthony Davis on the team’s poor free-throw shooting: “Got to get in the gym and shoot more free throws. And it starts with me. I’ve been terrible from the line.”
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) February 13, 2022
According to a recent report, coach Frank Vogel laid a condition before his players ended Monday’s practice session. Every player on the Lakers roster had to make 25 -free throws before leaving the facility.
Frank Vogel concludes Lakers practice on Monday by announcing every player has to make 25 free throws before finishing their day’s work.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 14, 2022
Vogel set an example, making such a decision that laid everyone on the Lakers roster on an equal playing field, no matter how big a superstar you were.
