Free throws streamers can be hard to manage come playoff time. It can feel like players that you’ve depended on all season show up with duds when it matters most.
Due to the randomness of free throw percentage, it’s helpful to look at some advanced analytics to see which waiver wire contributors can help you down the stretch.
2022-23 Fantasy Basketball: Free Throws Streamers
Free Throw Rate (FTr), is a measure of how many free throws a player takes per field goal attempt.
Leaders in this category include Mason Plumlee, Dwight Powell, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. This means that these players take the highest rate of free throws in the league relative to the amount of field goal attempts they take per game.
Unfortunately, all three shoot below 70% from the free-throw line. Let’s look at some players that have a strong FTr and free throw percentage.
Harrison Barnes, PF, Sacramento Kings
Harrison Barnes TOUGH finish, AND-1! 💪pic.twitter.com/jNJJFmFcj9
— Kings Nation (@KingsNationCP) March 10, 2023
Harrison Barnes is 9th in FTr, at .507. In the last month, he shot 92.2% from the free-throw line.
The Kings are contenders and Barnes has locked himself into their closing lineup. Expect Barnes to continue to have a strong impact on your free throw category.
Bennedict Mathurin, SG/SF, Indiana Pacers
Bennedict Mathurin is 16th in FTr, at .464. In the last month, he shot 86.4% from the free-throw line.
Regardless of their playoff intentions, Mathurin is a huge part of the Pacers' future and will get more and more chances as the season comes to a close
Kelly Olynyk, PF/C, Utah Jazz
Kelly Olynyk is No. 27 in the NBA in FTr at .422. In the last month, he shot .842 from the free-throw line.
Olynyk is like Mathurin; Utah is also on the fringe of making the play-in tournament. We’ve seen Olynyk put up incredible fantasy numbers on a dumpster-fire team, and we’ve seen him put up strong numbers for contenders. He’ll be a strong contributor either way.
Check out the rest of the 2022-23 Fantasy Basketball Coverage to help win your leagues.
