Game Six of the 2013 NBA Finals still haunts most Spurs fans, and missed free throws are a huge part of the reason for that. As we watch how well the Silver and Black have played this preseason, one potential pitfall has jumped out at me, and it's how inconsistent the players not named Victor Wembanyama have been from the free-throw line.
Wemby has had 23 attempts from the line, and he's only missed three. That's a tremendous improvement from his first two years. If he keeps it up, he's going to [cause even more headaches](https://airalamo.com/wembanyamas-mvp-chances-skyrocket-latest-prediction-comes-true) for opposing defenses than he already has. But it's a team sport, and other guys go to the charity stripe too, and over the four preseason games, San Antonio is averaging 76% from the line.
The Spurs must control what they can
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There is nobody to stop the guys from making free throws but them. Those points add up and can cost the team close games or prevent a game from being within reach in the first place. Last season, they were 21st in free-throw percentage at 77%. They're starting off this season on the wrong foot if we're meant to see improvement in that area.
Thankfully, it hasn't stopped them from putting up big offensive numbers and winning these games. Sure, the wins don't count; they don't matter. But what does matter is repetition, chemistry, practicing good habits, and getting down Coach Mitch Johnson's desired style of play. Missing free throws is not a good habit to build early in the season.
This isn't a "sky is falling" piece, though. They've looked good as a team thus far, averaging 122 points per game, which is tied for fifth in the league. The Spurs are 10th in field goal percentage, sixth in assists, 10th in rebounds, but sixth in offensive rebounds, with the 10th-ranked defense.
Now, some of those numbers are skewed because their first game wasn't against an NBA team. The Guangzhou Loong-Lions played as well as they could, but they're not among the elites. Regardless of that, I'll once again refer to how important the habits they're building are for regular-season success.
By the way, when you play a team grossly inferior to yours, you're supposed to blow them out, and they won that game by 31 points. That's another good sign. If they were locked into a slugfest with the Loong-Lions, that would have been cause for concern.
Overall, there are a ton of things that the [Silver and Black are doing well.](https://airalamo.com/mitch-johnson-being-disrespected-before-even-given-real-shot) But long-time Spurs fans also know the dangers of shaky free-throw shooting, and while a championship likely isn't in the cards this season, that doesn't mean they should be willing to let missed freebies be the reason that they lose games.