Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Not exactly a newsflash, right? But how bad Shaq is is so well-trod at this point, we basically take it for granted. But Shaq is really, really bad, and stats like this — culled from Henry Abbott’s review of Chris Ballard’s new NBA book — serve as a helpful, shocking reminder:
Shaquille O’Neal shoots a lot of free throws. At a point in 2008-2009, the NBA’s free throw average was at a 30-year high. That’s the year Shaquille O’Neal was shooting 70%. If however, O’Neal had been shooting his regular percentage, the league would have been below its historical average. Also, Ballard points out that … think about this … Shaquille O’Neal has missed more free throws than Larry Bird ever attempted.
It’s way too late to blame Shaq for this; he’s tried to become a better free throw shooter, and despite marginal gains in percentage, he remains almost as bad as ever. It’s just … that’s a lot of points to leave on the board. A lot of points.
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