Ten players to target for FT, rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo’s leagues

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When aiming to shore up your Free Throw shooting, you’ll need to take into volume and percentage. Depending on what type of league you play in, you’d say you’ll have to aim for a 81% – 82% average for your time to at least make in into the top three for that category. In my most active (20 team dynasty) league, the #1 team in FT had 81.4% a year ago, and the league leading percentage was 81.9% last season. With 80.3% last year, I was the 7th best team, and with 81.3% I was 2nd a year ago.

This basically means that a great volume shooter like Fox (6 FTA/game) actually doesn’t help you much, considering he’s shooting 78%. Bam Adebayo, while shooting a great percentage for centers, at 80.6% and 5.4 FTA/game, barely moves the needle for most teams.

As, I think Josh Lloyd pointed out earlier, it also means that Shai Gilgeous Alexander’s value was incredibly high for teams looking for FT impact last season: he shot 90.5% on 10.9 FTA/game. You’ll have to go back to 2012-2013 to find a player who tops this impact (Kevin Durant), and only KD, Curry and Dame have come close over the past seasons. It’s also a reason why I don’t see SGA sustaining his value from last year: SGA almost doubled his FT output (from 5.9 makes to 10.8 makes a game), while shooting 10 percentage points higher than his previous four seasons (90.5% vs 80.6 on average previously).

Here are some ‘bargains’ you could look into to solve some of your FT issues:

Cam Thomas: If you’re willing to take a gamble with a bit more risk than most names on this list, Cam’s your guy. Whenever he started games, he killed it, scoring-wise. Stringing together three games of 40+ points, and then fading quickly afterwards, we’ve seen glimpses of what he can do (and also what he can’t: sharing the ball). If he ever breaks out, he should be among league leaders in both FT volume and percentage.
Ochai Agbaji: Could slide into a starting role with the Jazz, and likes to attack the rim (with mixed results). Somewhat reminds me of Corey Maggette (with similar results), notorious for racking up freebies. They also have the same He-Man arms.
Nikola Jovic: After being dangled in a Dame trade, Jovic could see increased playing time with a depleted Heat squad. He’s a terrific player on offense, and should be on most break-out lists. His ability to drive and attack bodes well for his free throw impact.
Kelly Olynyk: With John Collins coming to town, and Kessler breaking out as a rookie, Olynyk’s role is somewhat up in the air. However, the Jazz love his skill set, and especially his playmaking could be a very valuable addition to many of their line-ups. Olynyk is money from the stripe, and has some volume.
Malik Monk: A really underrated player who has found his place in Sacramento. Doesn’t hurt your percentages, and shoots freebies at quite a good volume.
Max Christie: Hasn’t been a huge volume free throw shooter so far, but I am a huge fan of his potential. Among the top of my break out players list for this season, Christie is such a sound and smart player, that I can’t see how he doesn’t take a huge step this season.
Luke Kennard: Already a candidate for becoming a league leader in 3pt%, Kennard barely racks up free throws, but also rarely misses a freebie. Low volume, but useful. The SF position is still a big question mark, Kennard might have the inside track to start for now.
Duncan Robinson: Another player who’s seen his minutes dwindle before popping up again. As mentioned, the Heat are dealing with a depleted roster, and Duncan is a somewhat proven commodity.
Rui Hachimura: Expected to start for the Lakers, and Bron has been hyping him a bit recently. For a guy his size, you’d just wish he’d attack the rim a bit more, but he plays a bit soft. Still, a really goodfree throw shooter who could be had a low price.
Saddiq Bey: Here’s another player moving into a starting PF position, at least that’s what’s expected in Atlanta. Bey’s FTA dwindled with the Hawks (he averaged 4 FTA with the Pistons last season), but he’s shooting them at a high percentage. Hopefully he’ll see his shots go up when he plays PF more.