Houston Rockets rookie big man Chinanu Onuaku has brought back to the NBA one of the most effective yet rarely utilized free-throw shooting techniques: the underhanded free throw shot.

Because of its awkward pose and equally awkward style, the underhanded free throw shot is not exactly a staple in the NBA. It is not an entirely new technique to the league, but it has not been regularly utilized since Rick Barry used it way back in the late 1970s, according to SB Nation.

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Onuaku's resort to use the underhanded free throw shot is not entirely for a show. The big man has adopted the awkward shooting technique way back in his college years at Louisville, according to CBS Sports. Despite the awkwardness that comes with the shot, Onuaku's free throw shooting percentage drastically improved from 46.7 percent to 58.9 percent after adopting the underhanded free throw shot.

Onuaku stuck with the technique following his draft to the NBA. He successfully used it during the preseason games and has so far successfully utilized the shooting technique.

Despite criticism from some sports analysts, the underhanded free throw shooting technique has brought improvements to those who have used it. Some analysts argued that the ability to make points is more important than style or aesthetics.

The NBA has an unsolved enigma of big men having troubles once they are on the charity line. With the numbers to back up the underhanded free throw shot, it is still a mystery why big men like Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan have not picked up the technique in order to improve their free throw shooting capabilities.

TagsChinanu Onuaku, free throw, NBA, rockets, houston rockets, underhanded free throw