Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t mind the new label he’s earning in Minnesota.
After all, it’s working.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star and league MVP, after he led the team to a narrow 128-126 win over the Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night, said the “free-throw merchant” chants he’s been getting aren’t bothering him. If anything, it’s the opposite.
“In terms of the label, I don’t care,” he said. “I never cared … I’ve shot more free throws in a season than I did this season. I think because we’re on top of everybody’s radar, it’s a little more noticeable and now people care about it.
“I kind of see it as a compliment.”
Gilgeous-Alexander went 12 of 14 from the free-throw line in Monday’s win at the Target Center. He accounted for all but four of the team’s made free throws, too, and two-thirds of their attempted shots from the stripe.
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Gilgeous-Alexander also scored Oklahoma City’s final five points from the free-throw line, though he missed a critical one down the stretch that could have put the game away earlier. He finished the night just shy of a triple-double with 40 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds in the win, which put the Thunder up 3-1 in the series.
Timberwolves fans didn’t let up on Gilgeous-Alexander one bit on Monday, and repeatedly hit him with “free-throw merchant” chants.
ESPN’s Doris Burke also called him out in the first half, too, after he drew a simple foul from Rudy Gobert that got him to the charity stripe. There was nothing wrong or illegal about Gilgeous-Alexander’s move on that play, either. Players throughout the NBA do the exact same thing on a nightly basis during the season, as it’s successful and an easy way to get points on the board more often than not.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the league with 7.9 made free throws per game this season, and he attempted the second-most per game in the NBA behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo. Gilgeous-Alexander, as he noted, beat both of those figures significantly during the 2022-23 campaign.
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While opposing fans may find it annoying, Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t likely to let them get into his head at this point. With the Thunder now just a single win away from reaching their first NBA Finals since 2012, there is absolutely no reason for him to change his strategy.
Like it or not, it’s incredibly effective.
