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2017-18 Pacers Player Reviews: Alex Poythress

By Tony East

MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 03: Alex Poythress #0 of the Indiana Pacers walks across the court in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on January 3, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 03: Alex Poythress #0 of the Indiana Pacers walks across the court in the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center on January 3, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Alex Poythress Indiana Pacers
MILWAUKEE, WI – JANUARY 3: Alex Poythress #0 of the Indiana Pacers dunks against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 3, 2018, at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Bad

Poythress biggest flaw and the thing preventing him from being a solidly efficient player is free throws. And it isn’t just that he didn’t make them. He didn’t take them. At all. He took zero free throw attempts this season in the pros. Free throws are easy points, and getting to the line is an important skill for any player looking to be efficient. Poythress doesn’t have that.

In the G League, the youngster only hit 67.5 percent of his looks at the charity stripe. That’s okay, but it won’t get the job done. Especially with the low number of attempts Poythress had. He needs to be better at getting to the line and converting once he gets there.

Poythress also struggled to finish at the rim, making just 58.3 percent of his looks in close. Part of his trouble with getting to the line is that he avoids contact, and that hurts his finishing ability.

If you’re already on the fringes of the NBA, these shots just have to go in:

Overall, Poythress was solid in his limited minutes and didn’t do a ton poorly. He just didn’t get enough of an opportunity to show off his abilities, both the good ones and the bad ones.

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