Utah Jazz: 3 crazy stats from the 2021-22 season so far

2. Utah Jazz Free Throw Attempt Rate (FTr)

The fact that the Utah Jazz are leading the NBA in three-point attempts is probably not a surprise to anybody who has been following this team for the past couple of years. The fact that they’re pacing the Association in FTr at 27.6% is an outcome that would have been harder to predict heading into the season.

FTr simply measures the number of free throw attempts a team takes per field goal attempt. It is surprising that the NBA’s most three-point dependent team is also drawing enough fouls to lead the NBA in FTr. Frankly, it defies any explanation that this particular J-Notes writer is able to provide.

This stat is particularly puzzling in light of this season’s rule changes, which were designed to inhibit players from seeking fouls on jump shots (including, obviously, three-point attempts).

A partial explanation is centered around Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert. Individually, he’s leading the entire NBA in free throw attempts per game at 10.0. Still, the Jazz’s three-point dominant offensive strategy should not generally lend itself to such a high volume of free throw attempts.

This may be an oddity that we can expect to normalize as the season progresses. For the time being, it’s safe to assume that the Utah Jazz pacing the NBA in FTr is offsetting some of their three-point inefficiency. After all, they’re leading the entire NBA in Offensive Rating, at 114.8. Those points have to be coming from somewhere.