Free throws have been a thorn in Mitchell Robinson's side. He is a constant target of intentional fouls designed to send him to the line or the bench.
At the Boston Celtics' Media Day last week, he quipped that when Joe Mazzulla visited him in Nashville this summer, he told his new head coach he needs to apologize for subjecting Robinson to the hack-a-Mitch strategy. As previously explored, it's a tactic that he shouldn't deal with nearly as much with his new team.
And when the former New York Knicks center finds himself at the free-throw line, he'll now be stepping to the stripe with a new approach. It's a mentality change that could raise his conversion rate.
"Just the preparation that I've been doing now. Back in the day, I was just like, more, get over it," said Robinson Monday at the Celtics' training camp session in Charleston, South Carolina. "Now, I'm actually focusing in on it, locking in and getting it in the air."
Where Mitchell Robinson's new free-throw approach matters most
The eight-year veteran is a career 50.8 percent free-throw shooter on 2.1 attempts per game. In his final season with the Knicks, that figure dipped to 40.8 percent on 1.7 tries per tilt. At Media Day at the Auerbach Center, when asked what he is most eager to prove in the upcoming campaign, the 28-year-old from Pensacola, Florida, pointed to his work at the foul line.
A new outlook, embracing the process, and each trip he takes to the free-throw line can drive significant change. Rather than feeling resigned to it not going well, flipping that switch mentally can cultivate confidence. That self-belief is capable of taking Robinson a long way.
Yes, you'd still have a hard time finding someone who projects a meteoric jump, like becoming a 70 percent free-throw shooter. That's never been necessary, though. Not just because he's the best offensive rebounder in the league since his arrival, a seven-foot rim protector, and a punishing screener. New York was able to keep him on the floor in crunch time of the NBA Finals. If he's frequently going 1/2, let alone developing into something like a 60 percent free-throw shooter, it becomes that much easier to leave him in to close out contests.
The Celtics should feel great about their alternative, finishing with Neemias Queta out there for the final minutes. However, it's still better to have both options available without worrying if one will lead to intentional fouls that blow up Boston's possessions.
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