The shot doctor: Wizards assistant Hopla shoots, teaches

"He's a basketball junkie," Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said. "If he can help one player on the team, it's worth it. And over the short term, we have seen results."

Entering Thursday, the Wizards were tied for third in the NBA in free-throw shooting percentage at 79, an improvement on last season's 76.5 and on pace to break the franchise record. The only teams with better percentages are the Dallas Mavericks, who employ a full-time free-throw coach, and the Raptors.

The Wizards also have higher field-goal and 3-point shooting percentages than in 2006-07, which could help explain why they are in the thick of things in the East despite a host of injuries that include losing Arenas to knee surgery.

Given the importance of putting the ball in the net, one might think all of the NBA's 30 teams would have a shooting coach. After all, all Major League Baseball teams have batting coaches and pitching coaches and bullpen coaches. But fewer than half of the NBA's clubs have someone teaching shooting full-time.

Note these numbers: Seven of the top eight teams in the Western Conference employ a shooting coach. None of the seven worst teams in the Eastern Conference does.

Asked whether he's surprised so few clubs have full-time shooting coaches, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban replied in an e-mail, "We think having a shooting coach is a terrible investment and no team should have one."

Sarcasm, perhaps? Hmmmm.

The Wizards didn't have such a coach last season, when Brendan Haywood, for example, dipped to 54.8 percent on free throws, putting his career average below 60 percent. After a few months with Hopla, Haywood is at 71.5 percent. Caron Butler's shooting percentages are at career-best levels on field goals (49.8), 3s (40.9) and free throws (88.7).

Hopla works with players after practices and before games, kidding around and cajoling, to be sure, but also making serious suggestions to tweak mechanics.

These are pros who have been playing basketball for years and now earn millions of dollars. Yet they listen.

"So effortless, his ability to knock down shots. I've never seen anybody shoot like him," says Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Childress, who's worked out with Hopla. "And he has that charisma and that energy."

Hopla gives his Wizards players their own notebooks, of the loose-leaf variety, filled with statistics and color-coded charts showing zones of the court where they've been "hot" or "cold."

"It helps out tremendously," Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson said. "When I'm out there, I know when I'm at that spot he showed me where I'm shooting 60 or 70 percent. So I'm going to make that shot."

Sixty percent? Seventy percent?

Not too shabby, Stevenson. Not quite Hoplaesque, though.