Sun Sports and FS Florida broadcaster David Steele is in the midst of his 22nd season of Orlando Magic basketball, and his 13th as the play-by-play announcer for the team's television broadcasts. He was named television play-by-play voice for the Orlando Magic in March of 1998 after handling radio play-by-play duties for the team's first nine seasons. Steele shares his unique take on what's happening with the Orlando Magic and more with his newest blog.
Posted by David Steele, Thursday, February 9, 2012, 2:30 PM
Price Helping Howard With Free Throws
Mark Price is the greatest free-throw shooter in NBA history. For 12 NBA seasons, starting in 1986, Price was almost automatic at the foul line, making 90.4 percent of his 2,362 attempts.
Dwight Howard is the premier center in the NBA today, sure to go down in history as one of the greatest big men of all time. The only flaw in Dwight's game is at the free-throw line, where in his eighth NBA season, he is shooting a career-low 49 percent.
Howard, meet Price. Price, now an assistant coach for the Magic, is assigned the task of helping Howard improve his foul shooting touch.
Price joined the Magic staff in December, just before the start of this shortened season. After taking a wait-and-see approach with Howard early, Price recently has found the superstar center most receptive to his coaching expertise.
"I've heard he's always shot them (free throws) well in practice, but it doesn't carry over into the games," Price said. "The old saying is true — practice doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect."
Midseason is no time for a complete overhaul to a player's shooting mechanics. That work must be done in the offseason, when there's plenty of time to focus and get ample reps to make a difference. So Price is trying to make just a couple of small adjustments in Howard's free-throw-shooting approach that will help in the short run, and be a foundation to build on.
"Good free-throw shooters shoot the same way every time," Price said. "What we're trying to do is simplify Dwight's stroke."
Early in the season, Howard held the ball down low before beginning his shooting motion. The idea now is to begin the free-throw routine holding the ball up higher, so there is less movement (and less room for error) before the shot commences. Then, when the shot begins, the release point is crucial, Price said.
"We're working on Dwight releasing the ball higher, lifting his elbow so that he gets more lift on the shot," Price said. "When he doesn't do this, he shoots it flat, and that's when he has problems."
Working with these basic concepts, Howard has seen recent improvement in his free-throwing shooting. In the past five games, he has hit 62 percent at the line — not a great number but a significant jump from the first 21 games. And Price, the man who in 1993 hit 77 free throws in a row, took great pleasure in watching his star pupil knock down 10 consecutive free throws last week against Washington. Small steps.
Through the years, we've seen Howard's foul-shooting fortunes rise and fall and wondered what it would take to help the game's greatest big man unlock the door to solve his one glaring weakness. It could be that the game's greatest free-throw shooter has the key.
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