Patience or panic on 5 Dallas Mavericks issues from the season opening loss to Suns?

Panic on Dallas Mavericks free throw shooting

The one worry going forward is the team’s free-throw shooting. On a night where Luka Doncic went 13 of 13 from the foul line, fans would think there would be zero worries about their free throw shooting, but Dallas missed 13 of 34, including Christian Wood going three of ten.

Let us start with the good. Doncic is a career 73.9 percent free throw shooter, which is not great for a superstar. The 23-year-old looks to have made some gains from the foul line this season, and it was a perfect 13 for 13 to start. Hopefully, number 77 can shoot closer to 80 percent from the free throw line this season and pick up the Mavericks a few extra points at the charity stripe.

Wood and JaVale McGee figure to be the next two most fouled Mavs as they were in the season opener. The two newcomers were a combined four of 14 on their free throws against the Suns, and both have historically struggled from the foul line. McGee is a career 60.4 percent free throw shooter, and Wood is only slightly better at 66.4 percent. There will be a lot of missed foul shots from the Mavericks this season, and it is likely to cost them another game at some point.

Can head coach Jason Kidd and his staff help Wood and McGee improve their free throw shooting? It will be an area of focus for the Mavs early this season, and it is something to watch closely moving forward.