Washington Wizards: 5 goals for Ian Mahinmi in 2017-18

2. Improve from the foul line

It is unfortunate for a player to reach the professional level of basketball and be unable to hit free throws with consistency. Over his career, Mahinmi shoots 59.5 percent from the line, hitting just 597 of his 1,003 attempts over nine seasons.

That is simply not good enough and unacceptable if he wishes to be a productive big man off the bench. Once more we can compare him to teammate Jason Smith, who has hit 77.7 percent of his career free throw attempts. It is possible that Smith averages just over one point per game more as a result of just hitting nearly 20 percent more then Mahinmi’s attempts at the line.

Ian Mahinmi can improve his game on the inside by frustrating his opponents with his strong moves, and the ability to knock down free throws is crucial if he’s unable to finish after drawing contact.

While he does not need to necessarily need to be the best player off the Wizards’ bench, he should still be trying to be exactly that. One way to get there is by proving himself as more reliable at the free throw line.