The Golden State Warriors and free-throw shooting. They're phrases that haven't particularly gone together seamlessly over the past decade, such has been the largely jump-shooting nature of Stephen Curry and previously Klay Thompson.
The Warriors are starting to diversify though and for the better as they look to preserve Curry's brilliance for a little while longer. Golden State ranked 23rd in free-throw attempts per game at the All-Star break last season, having been crying out for something different to complement Curry's exploits from beyond the arc.
They found that with Jimmy Butler who completely re-energized the Golden State offense, taking them from 23rd in free-throw attempts all the way up to third in the period following the All-Star break.
Jonathan Kuminga could lift Warriors into the NBA's top free-throw shooting team
It's easy to forget that Butler almost single-handedly lifted the Warriors' free-throw rate, having done so largely without Jonathan Kuminga who missed a significant 30-game period due to an ankle issue.
Before Butler's arrival, Kuminga had been Golden State's primary source of getting to the free-throw line. He finished the season at 7.4 free throws per 36 minutes, only behind Butler's 8.5 and well ahead of Curry's 4.8.
Kuminga's future remains up in the air right now as negotiations between his camp and the Warriors remain without a resolution, with the young forward still weighing up whether or not to take the $7.9 million qualifying offer by October 1.
However, there's still a sense that a multi-year deal will eventually be reached between both parties, with Steve Kerr already confirming that he will spend the first part of the season trying to fit Butler and Kuminga together should the 22-year-old be back on the team. Frankly he'll have no other choice if Kuminga is making $20+ million and Golden State are looking to build his trade value.
Having Butler and Kuminga as perhaps the second and third-leading scorers on the team is going to make for an even bigger contrast to what we've seen in years past. With a fully fit Kuminga back in the fold, the Warriors could even challenge for being the league leaders in free-throw attempts per game which would make for a stunning turnaround to where they were just eight months ago.
In theory it should work if Butler and Kuminga are surrounded by the necessary spacing threats, but fit concerns remain until we see it in reality on the floor once the season gets underway.