It’s no surprise that DeAndre Jordan is a bad free throw shooter. The Clippers’ center shot just 43 percent from the line this season, which is somehow better than his 39.7 percent from 2014-15.
It’s not exactly rare for Jordan to miss a pair of free throws, but it’s pretty bad when you can’t even draw iron.
That’s exactly what happened when Jordan stepped up to the line with less than three minutes remaining in the first half of the Clippers Game 4 matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers. Jordan let two free throws fly, and both came down without touching the rim.
Of course, the Portland crowd began chanting “air-ball” after Jordan missed the first, and the roars became even louder as the missed the second attempt.
The league has Jordan figured out, as he shot a career-high 619 free throws this season. His previous career high came last year, with 471 attempts. It’s something that teams will continue to utilize as an advantage (unless the league makes a change), and the mental barrier might be too much for Jordan to overcome.
Airballing a pair of free throws certainly doesn’t help his psyche. At the very least, he can’t do worse on his next attempt.
