Despite a 114-104 loss, the Cleveland Cavaliers got to the rim plenty against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night in a physical clash. The problem is that they didn't cash in on their opportunities. In addition to missing 16 shots in the paint, the Cavs went 20-of-32 from the free-throw line, leaving critical points behind in a game that could've had a different result had they knocked them down.
“You've gotta make your free throws,” Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said in his postgame press conference. “Especially, fourth quarter, end of game. It's tough. It's such an important part of the game, especially when you get 32 attempts; you've gotta knock them down. We haven't been good since preseason, really, shooting free throws. We practice them like everybody does.
“It'll turn, though. It'll turn. We've got good free-throw shooters. So, Darius [Garland] is, obviously, like, what, mid-80s? So that's another guy, Max [Strus], good free-throw shooter. So, we're just not making them right now. It's hurting us.”
The Cavs were a middle-of-the-pack squad at 77.6% from the stripe last season, but their 75.0% figure through 16 games ranks fifth-worst in the NBA. De'Andre Hunter knows that the wine and gold need those shots at the charity stripe to fall.
“There's a lot of games like [Wednesday], and some games that we won, that we could have a bigger lead or be in the game even more,” Hunter said. “So it's just something we've got to work on individually; that's not really a team thing. We've just got to be better in that area.”
“It's a mental thing, and that's a step for us,” Donovan Mitchell added. “We got to convert, they're free, they're there, got to put the work and put the time in. I didn't know we were that low, but that's on us. It's a mental thing, going out there, making your free throws. We're doing a good job of getting there, right?”
At least four Cavs left points at the line against Houston, including Dean Wade, Nae'Qwan Tomlin, and Lonzo Ball, but Evan Mobley's 4-of-10 showing hurt extra because of the amount of chances that were there.
Sixteen games into the season, Mobley's free-throw percentage has dipped below 60% and sits as the worst in the NBA among those with at least six attempts. Cleveland's All-Star forward understands that it's “very important” to fix.
“I've got to be better,” Mobley said. It's probably the worst I've shot free throws in my whole time playing basketball. I've just got to figure that out. Keep getting reps up. We're gonna figure it out soon.”
Ultimately, he believes it will come down to focus and routine. Practice habits turn into game habits.
“It's gonna change eventually,” Mobley said. “I'm just gonna keep working until it changes.”
“I haven't looked at it,” Atkinson added. “I mean, maybe I should look at it, right? But usually these things are confidence, and he's probably lost some confidence. And guys go through it, they go through these slumps, and he's a good free-throw shooter. He'll come back. I just think probably a mental thing, a little bit of confidence lost.”
On a positive note, getting to the bucket and drawing five fouls in a game means that Mobley is getting downhill with the right mentality.
“Ev getting there 10 times is huge,” Mitchell said. “It's big time. Especially for him. The easy points, got to convert.”
As a whole, Cleveland has to rectify one of the simplest aspects of basketball — or it'll turn into a long year quickly.
“You can get on somebody every night,” Mitchell said. “It's not just [Wednesday]. Everybody, we've got to do our part. Make our free throws.”
