Correcting Aaron Gordon's Free-Throw Shooting

Forcing the issue on offense has led to 

Aaron Gordon not being relaxed at the 

free throw line. Did he turn a corner

against Oregon State?

Aaron Gordon's woes at the free-throw stripe aren't likely to scare away NBA teams this spring, just as it didn't with the likes of doppleganger Blake Griffin.

The two players are obviously similar in playing style, as they are high-flying highlight reels of rebounding and dunking prowess. Many comparisons have also been drawn based on their performance at the charity stripe. But on closer examination, it appears Griffin was more polished at the same stage of his collegiate career.

But did the Oregon State victory start to change that?

Griffin shot 58.9 percent his freshman year at Oklahoma and fell off ever-so slightly to 58.8 percent the following year before taking the money and running with the Los Angeles Clippers. Gordon, in comparison, is shooting only 44.9 percent through Saturday in his first and purportedly only season.

(Griffin also shot nearly 11 percentage points better from the field than Gordon's 46 percent and grabbed 14.4 rebounds per game compared to Gordon's 8, so far.)

There appears to be much more distance between their two games than many in the media would lead us to believe. The NBA, after all, values a player's potential ceiling rather than polish, especially when they are still teenagers. But what about the argument that Gordon is facing tougher competition? That could be easily debunked by the fact that Griffin played the eventual 2008 National Champion Kansas Jayhawks twice that season as well as Elite 8 Texas.

In fact, nine teams from the Big 12 made the NCAA tournament that year. It remains to be seen how many Pac-12 teams make it, though with a about a month remaining in the regular season it appears five or six could make it to the dance

And what about the fact that past Arizona teams have shot worse free-throw percentage and not suffered from it (see the 1996-97 National Champs), as the Arizona Daily Star's Greg Hanson pointed out? Regardless, Gordon's struggles are not optimal for a team trying to overcome the loss of Brandon Ashley.

Gordon by all accounts is an all-world human being as well as an immense talent on the court with immeasurable upside. But this same trait, I suggest as well as others do, is at the root of his shooting issues. He's so athletic that he literally leaps before he looks. At only 18 years old, perhaps he's still growing into his listed 6-9, 225-pound frame.

This was an issue until Sunday versus Oregon State. Gordon played aggressively in control and let the game come to him. While he missed his lone free throw, he was 8-for-12 from the field, as he should be living around the basket. He even nailed a three-pointer, his first since Dec. 19 against Southern and only sixth of the year out of 27 attempts for 22 percent on the season.

Still, it's by taking what the defense gives him rather than forcing the issue that should lead to a more relaxed approach to his freebies. A player like Gordon by nature is going to have his fair share of visits to the free throw line. But playing under control leads to shooting free throws under control, wherein deep breaths and rhythm always win out to guiding the ball to the basket.

His 19-point effort and best-shooting game since the victory over Washington on Jan. 4 should do wonders for his confidence. And a healthy competition with fellow freshman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who has had his own breakout games since Ashley went down, doesn't hurt either. And if Gordon's success at the rim carries over to his free throws, he figures to singlehandedly improve the fortunes of the team free throw percentage, as he accounts for about about a fifth of the attempts.

The result could be what Griffin could never attain. A Final Four trip and, just maybe, cutting down the nets loom as very real possibilities, if not this year in 2015, should he return to polish his game.