Phoenix Suns: 5 Keys To T.J. Warren’s Rookie Season

5. Improve Free Throw Shooting:

T.J. Warren isn’t a poor free throw shooter by any means, but he’ll probably need to do better than the 69 percent he shot from the line with the Wolfpack last season. To be fair, Warren improved his free throw percentage by nearly 15 percent from his freshman year, but for a guy that will be expected to provide instant offense off the bench in his early years, he’ll need to convert his freebies at a more regular rate.

Part of the problem is the chicken wing-looking thing that happens to Warren’s arm on his shot release, but with the instruction of NBA assistants and trainers, he’ll be able to adjust to be more effective with his touch from the line. Warren got to the line a respectable 6.5 times per game his sophomore season at NC State, a number that put him just outside the top 20 in the nation. Warren is a master at attacking the basket, adjusting in midair and taking the contact while finishing. But the NBA’s a different animal and Warren will need to be able to convert from the line when he gets hacked in the lane.