It’s safe to say that Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t concerned with the narrative that he and his teammates get a favorable whistle.
Gilgeous-Alexander himself has frequently been referred to as a “free throw merchant” and opposing head coaches have publicly lamented the perceived favoritism shown by the league’s officials to the defending champs.
“It’s so frustrating to play this team because they foul a ton. They really do,” Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said after a game against Oklahoma City last season. “They foul. They foul all the time. And then you can’t really touch Shai. It’s a very frustrating thing, and it takes a lot of mental toughness to play through it.”
Finch was ejected just moments into Minnesota’s 112-107 victory over the Thunder on Friday night and after the game, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about the perception that the Thunder benefit from referee favoritism.
"I don't care, not one bit. I can't control how the refs blow the whistle ever,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I've never been able to. Never been a ref. All I can do is play basketball, and that's all I focus on.”
Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in made free throws per game in each of the last two seasons, and he’s increased his total so far this season. So, it’s not hard to understand where the “foul merchant” narrative might come from.
But, while Gilgeous-Alexander has been getting to the line a lot individually, the trend doesn’t necessarily hold when expanded to the team level.
As a team, the Thunder averaged the fifth-fewest free throws per game last season (20.4). They’ve climbed a bit this season, but they’re still not even in the top-half of the league when it comes to charity stripe attempts per game. The 24.7 free throws they attempt per game is tied for 15th-highest league-wide.