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Clippers rookie shocks Doris Burke, NBA fans by jumping on his free throw shots originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Nick Martinelli jumps on his free throws.
At least, that's what the Los Angeles Clippers rookie did on Thursday night. The left-handed Martinelli left the ground on his foul shots during NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas.
It left ESPN announcer Doris Burke in a bit of disbelief:
Was it the right strategy? Martinelli shot just 4-for-7 at the foul line, so that's up for debate.
The No. 55 overall pick out of Northwestern finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists in 22 minutes off the bench.
He didn't capture attention for any of that, though, but instead for his rare free throw form.
MORE: Keaton Wagler's Summer League debut raises immediate concern
Can you jump on free throws?
As Martinelli showed, you're allowed to jump on free throws.
That's true at every level of basketball, including the NBA.
There are two main reasons why a player would choose to keep feet on the ground while shooting foul shots.
The first is the rulebook -- you can't touch any part of the foul line itself until the ball hits the rim (or goes in), and a jump increases the risk, because if you go forward at all, you could land on the line -- which is then a violation and doesn't count the shot even if it goes in.
The second is consistency. Less moving parts should conceptually keep foul shot form simpler and have less potential for error. A jump increases the motion and probably makes it harder to shoot a high percentage at the line.
But at least for now, this is what Martinelli is doing.
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