How can Andre Drummond improve his abysmal 36% free throw shooting going into next season? It's the million dollar question facing the big man and the Detroit Pistons this offseason.
In his four years in the NBA, Drummond has never eclipsed 43 percent from the charity stripe and last year was a career-worst. Drummond's woes have forced Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy to explore any and all options to help him improve. Following player exit interviews, Van Gundy informed reporters that the idea of shooting underhanded is in play. “As far as shooting underhand or anything else, it’s fair to say my discussion with Andre yesterday and the discussions Jeff and I have had and staff — everything is on the table,” he said, according to Rod Beard of the Detroit News.
Another option in play is the use of VR devices. In his interview with ESPN's Zach Lowe, Van Gundy reiterated that all options are "on the table," but added that "virtual reality stuff" could be used to help him.
Everything's on the table, whether it's some things we can do with visual imagery, some virtual reality stuff, changing dramatically how you shoot the ball -- it's all on the table. Andre would tell you the same thing. Over the next couple of weeks, we're gonna get together as a staff, talk to some outside people, and sit down with Andre to see where his head is. For it to be any good, you have to have buy-in from him.
According to Van Gundy, Drummond shows glimpses of a progress in practice, but things tend to go awry during games. "In practice, he can go in and make 65 to 70 percent," he said. "That should translate closer to 50 percent in games. But that isn't happening." Maybe the VR headset could actually be the answer. At this point, it doesn't hurt to try.
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