When a player, especially a starter, and most especially an upperclassman, struggles with a particular shot, home fans take notice. Usually the trouble involves making free throws or 3-pointers, the game’s most distinctive shots. You can also be lousy at making layups, but you don’t get to take many in a game or across a season.
Duke fans certainly recall the difficulties experienced at the foul line in recent years by Lance Thomas (.553 on 94 attempts) in 2009, or Greg Zoubek (.551 on 78 attempts) in 2010, or Mason Plumlee in 2011 (.441 on 93 tries) and 2012 (.