Read the full story on SportsLook - For B.League Players, Frequent Trips to the Foul Line are Not That Common
It's interesting to compare statistics from different pro leagues in the same sport. For instance, the NBA and the B.League; and even though the former has 48-minutes games (8 minutes longer than the latter's contests), there are similarities among the two leagues' stats.
In this era of rapid-fire 3-point shooting and the expectation that every player on the floor will launch shots from beyond the arc, there's a noticeable reduction in recent years in the number of players who are frequent visitors to the free-throw line.
According to the NBA's updated per-game player statistics on Basketball Reference (through Tuesday, January 30), there are 20 players averaging 6.0 or more foul shots a game. Two superstars are attempting more than 10 a game ― Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid (12.2) and Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (11.2). Ninth on the list is Phoenix Suns dynamic guard Devin Booker (7.1).
All of the NBA's top 20 in free-throw attempts per game are also playing 30 or more minutes a game.
B.League Star Buford Makes an Impact at the Free-Throw Line
In the shorter B.League game, Shimane Susanoo Magic all-star forward Perrin Buford, who is No 1 with 7.0 foul shots a game, has appeared in 28 games through Sunday, January 28. Buford is second in the league in scoring (23.1 points per game).
Injured Shinshu Brave Warriors center Wayne Marshall is also averaging 7.0 free throws. But Marshall has only appeared in four matches, so he does not qualify as a statistical leader.
Is there a correlation between having a player who is among the league's best at drawing fouls and winning games at a high percentage rate? At times, yes.
Shimane owns a 21-12 record, second-best among the Western Conference's eight teams.
Balanced scoring can, of course, be a stronger catalyst for overall success for a team than relying on one or two players to carry the scoring load. Case in point: Yokohama B-Corsairs point guard Yuki Kawamura leads the league in scoring (23.1 ppg) and is No 2 in foul shots per game (6.7). But the B-Corsairs (14-19) are mired in mediocrity in the 2023-24 campaign.
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Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.
