It's one of the simplest shots in the entire game of basketball. The free throw. Yet, sometimes even the professionals can make it look difficult. Unfortunately, that was the Denver Nuggets this preseason. They got to the foul line a lot during the preseason, but they failed to capitalize on the free points. It can't be sugarcoated. They were terrible, and they have got to improve one of the more important but overlooked aspects of the game, or they could cost themselves some wins this year.
The Nuggets weren't just bad from the free-throw line. They were the worst of all 30 NBA teams in the preseason, making just 67.5% of their 32.0 attempts per game. That's a lot of points left on the table. For a team that played 42 clutch games in 2025-26, tied for the 5th most in the league, those points are valuable, and failure to make the throws could cost the Nuggets wins. It's a small concern heading into the regular season.
The Nuggets need to correct the problem
One of the breakout stars of the Nuggets' preseason, rookie Trevon Brazile, had a tough time at the line, making just 4 of his 12 attempts, for a Shaq-like 33.3%. He shot 71.7% in his final season at Arkansas, so the hope is that he hits closer to that number in the regular season.
But the poor free-throw shooting wasn't just confined to the bench or players who aren't a part of the rotation. The typical starting five of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Cameron Johnson, Aaron Gordon, and Christian Braun made just 75% of their attempts. However, most of the issue rests squarely on Jokic, who was 10-for-15 for 66.7%, and Braun, who was 5-of-9 for 55.6%.
It's a bit surprising, because the Nuggets aren't a bad free-throw shooting team. They were fifth in the NBA last year at 80.8%. Jokic should be fine as an 82.5% career free-throw shooter, and Braun made 78.2% of his attempts last year. But the low mark coming out of the regular-season tune-ups needs to be fixed.
The Nuggets were just 23-19 last year in clutch games, or games within five or fewer points in the last five minutes of regulation and overtime. A free throw missed here or there could have radically changed that number. A loss here, a loss there, and the Nuggets slip a seed or two in the playoff seedings.
Again, it's a small concern, as the historical numbers don't point to anything alarming. But finishing last in the freebie points conversion rate certainly isn't what Nuggets fans would have imagined coming into the preseason.
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