Joel Przybilla, Portland Trail Blazers

The Shot:
Video

The Free Throw:
For Joel Przybilla a trip to the free throw line is something less than a 50/50 proposition and those odds don’t sit particularly well with the Portland Trail Blazers center. This season, the six-year NBA veteran, under the tutelage of Blazers assistant coach Dean Demopolous, has rolled the dice scrapping his old free throw regiment in favor of a new one. What’s most noticeable about Przybilla’s new routine is how he positions himself at a 45-degree angle at the charity strip.

"I shoot off to the side, so we have been working on my stance, open it up a little bit so my shot is more on line with the hoop," said Przybilla.

Last year, Przybilla logged his best year at the line finishing with a .517 percentage, which is slightly above his career average of .468.

"I really feel comfortable with it and I’m working on it every day," added Przybilla. "In practice and in shoot-around’s it’s falling. I just have to carry it over to a game."

Currently, Przybilla is shooting .531%, an improvement and although not where he wants it to be, it’s admittedly a work-in-progress. Both he and Demopolous are confidant that a little hard work and perseverance are going to payoff in the end.

"It’s a mental thing for me" Przybilla said. "I’m working on it, trust me, it’s going to get better.

The Ritual:
While some players have all sort of superstitions, repetitions and funky rituals, Przybilla, other than his 45-degree stance, has a pretty straightforward approach.

"I just dribble the ball three times, take a deep breath and go up there and try and knock it down," said Przybilla.