Walk the Line

Posted by Johnathan Kendrick on October 22, 2007

When the Jazz last went to the NBA Finals. They were lead there by the big three, Stockton, Malone, and Jeff Hornacek. It may not be fair to anyone to say that the Jazz have replaced Stockton with Deron Williams, or suggest that Carlos Boozer is a clone of Karl Malone. But once again the Point Guard and the Power Forward are leading the way. The shooting guard spot has remained a void in the Jazz offense since Hornacek abandoned the position 7 seasons ago. This year the Jazz will try once again to find a suitable replacement. Ronnie Brewer has made great strides this preseason. No one will suggest he is anywhere the shooter Hornacek was (or is).

Brewer is much more comfortable attacking the basket than setting up on the three-point line. But he is giving the team constant and consistent production from the position. There might be one more area that Brewer can fill in for Hornacek. In recent years, the Jazz have been awful at the free throw line. Last year Derek Fisher was the best free throw shooter the Jazz had, connecting on 85.3% of his attempts.

Second best was Gordan Giricek at 81.6%. No one else shot better then 80%. The team as a whole shot 74.3% last year, which while not being good – is a vast improvement from the 71.9% the team averaged the previous season. It’s also important to note that in the 2005-2006 season, the Jazz had no player shoot better then 80%. The team was led that year by Keith McLeod shooting 79.7% (Mehmet Okur followed at 78%).

You have to go back to the 1999-2000 season to find the last time the Jazz had a player shoot above 90%. Jeff Hornacek in his final year, stood at the free throw line, ran his hand across his forehead and down his cheek, the signature wave to his children, and then sank 95% of his free throw attempts.

The preseason in many ways doesn’t mean a thing. Many of the preseason statistics can be thrown out the window. So take it for what it’s worth. While 5 players are shooting well above average from the line – Brewer has the most interesting line because he has attempted nearly as many free throws as the other four combined.

Player PCT. FTM-FTA

Ronnie Brewer 92.6% 25-27

Morris Almond 100% 7-7

Gordan Giricek 90.9% 10-11

C.J. Miles 87.5% 7-8

Ronnie Price 90% 9-10

If Brewer can keep up this level of play, he will do something more important then just filling a gap for the the Jazz, he’ll walk the line.

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