Amen to that. I seem to recall the days when pro basketball was entertaining and the scores would be something like 145 to 140. They could actually make a set shot and dunking didn't come in until Wilt and Kareem got into the act and most of the good players could shoot foul shots with their eyes closed.
Shaq would have been the greatest player ever if he only made his free throws.....teams knew they could foul him knowing he’d probably miss, it wound up shortening his career by at least a few years.
In 2009, NBA players shot just over 77% from the foul line, an all-time record. For the last 50 years, the annual NBA free throw percentage has been about 75%. There is virtually no change year-over-year.