The Big Lead

Warriors, even with Steph Curry, rank last in this shooting statistic

By Joe Lago

Nov 15, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after being struck in the face during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
Nov 15, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after being struck in the face during the second quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images / D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
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The Golden State Warriors are known for great shooting. Their championship dynasty was defined by the 3-point shooting prowess of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Bad shooting has never been a problem for Steve Kerr's Warriors ... until now.

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Golden State ranks 30th out of 30 NBA teams in free-throw shooting at just 69.7%, and it's arguably the most shocking statistic of the Warriors' surprising 10-3 start.

They Dubs have been so good, especially on defense with the league's fourth-best defensive rating (107.3 points per 100 possessions), that they haven't had the free-throw woes cost them a game. It finally happened Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Golden State's struggles at the line were a major factor in its 102-99 loss at Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The Warriors missed 10 of their 19 free throws for a ghastly 47.4%.

Afterward, Curry and Draymond Green told reporters that free-throw shooting has definitely become an "issue" (Curry said it was a "glaring issue"). Kerr acknowledged that "free throws obviously hurt us," but he felt the game was lost at the end of the first half by "wasting a lot of possessions" with turnovers.

"We entered the game dead last in free throws. We also entered the game 10-2. So they haven't hurt us until tonight," Kerr said in his postgame press conference. "We've got to work on it obviously. Our guys have to get in the gym and find their rhythm, find their confidence from the line, for sure."

Curry certainly isn't the problem. The NBA's career leader in free-throw percentage ranks third in the league at 94.3%, but after Lindy Waters III (100% on 2-for-2 shooting) and Buddy Hield (85.7%), the rest of the roster is below 72%. Jonathan Kuminga, who leads the team with 56 free-throw attempts, is shooting only 60.7% from the line.

Like Kerr, Curry believes the Warriors can address their biggest weakness by putting in the necessary time on the practice court.

"It's correctable. That's a good thing," Curry told reporters. "And we understand that the details do matter. ... So get your work in."

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