This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A year ago, Rudy Gobert would have been wise to decline an invitation to a foul-fest like the one the Jazz and Suns threw Wednesday night at Vivint SmartHome Arena.
The two teams mucked it up, barely giving the referees' whistles a chance to dry as they combined for 79 fouls and 106 free throw attempts.
And Gobert, for all his strengths, hasn't shined at the stripe during his first three NBA seasons.
The Stifle Tower, however, is doing his best to put that reputation to bed.
A career 58 percent foul shooter, Gobert is shooting 76.3 percent on freebies through four preseason contests. The French center has connected on 29 of his 38 attempts, including 11 of 15 in the Jazz's 111-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.
"I think it's just confidence," said Gobert, who says he hasn't tweaked his form. "I was shooting the same way last year in practice. It's just confidence. I'm confident on the line."
The Jazz have forced Gobert to confront what has been a weakness in the past.
"There was never a time we substituted for him in a hack-a situation," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. "If somebody's going to do that, Rudy's … one of our main guys and he's got to learn to make them and we've got to be confident in him."
Gobert's teammates have seen that confidence from him in practices. The Jazz have installed a bell in the practice facility for players to ring when they make 25 free throws in a row. Gobert usually aims for 10 straight each day. But at one recent practice, Gobert knocked down 25 free throws in a row before making his way to the bell and ringing it loudly.
Still, those practice sessions haven't always paid off in games. That appears to be changing as he heads into his fourth season.
"There are two ways you gain confidence," Snyder said. "One is through practice and the second is through experience. He's practiced, practiced, practiced. Now he's starting to have some experience where he's experiencing some success."
Twitter: @aaronfalk