Thorpe: Mason Plumlee's free-throw shooting is a 'major concern,' but can be fixed

ESPN's David Thorpe has a piece on 'dot com' today about NBA sophomores and how they, individually, can improve their game.

Thorpe writes about Nets super-soph Mason Plumlee, who has been one of the bright spots for the Brooklyn Nets this season. Naturally, Thorpe notes that Plumlee needs to improve on his free throw shooting, which comes as no surprise to Nets fans. Plumlee, who is thriving as a starter, posting 14.1 points and 8.7 rebounds in 18 starts, is shooting just 47.5 percent from the line.

He writes that Plumlee's FT shooting is a "major concern," however he then sees some signs of hope:

Studying his form shows that his overall mechanics are consistent, which is a good thing, but his wrist action goes horribly astray on many if not most of his shots, oftentimes moving sideways rather than straight down. This happens a lot with players with big hands. Working on generating the same "snap" on each shot takes time but it can be done.

His balance can be a little off as well, only adding to his problems. Instead of falling forward as he releases, he can work on staying firmly in place until the ball hits the rim.

Here's a perfect example (via Fox Sports), of that wrist action gone "astray."

Again, as Thorpe notes, this is something that Plumlee can fix -- all is not lost! It will certainly take time, but Plumlee knows that he needs to improve from the line in order to avoid the late-game "hack-a-Plumlee" strategy.

• NBA: Sophomore rankings - David Thorpe (Insider) - ESPN