Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Shrugs Off Free Throw Criticism in Bid for Second Straight MVP

NEW YORK — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pauses to consider the question. Does winning MVP matter? It’s Wednesday, about an hour after Oklahoma City’s predictable rout of the free-falling Nets, and the league’s reigning MVP is putting the finishing touches on an outfit—black leather pants, black mesh top—only he can pull off. Gilgeous-Alexander collected 20 points against Brooklyn, his 130th consecutive game of scoring 20-plus, a Joe DiMaggio–esque streak that whenever it ends will likely never be broken. On a nearby whiteboard reads a simple instruction: Bus to restaurant: whenever Shai is ready. And Shai is not quite ready.

“I definitely want to win,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “Of course.”

Like most years, the MVP race this season is competitive. Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić are again jousting at the top, while newcomers Victor Wembanyama, Jaylen Brown and Cade Cunningham have made strong cases. Wembanyama has been vocal about his desire to win the award. Brown, too. As teams enter the stretch run, arguments are being made both on the court and off.

“If you ask every NBA player that’s ever played the game of basketball, they all want to win,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “Now the difference is you can’t just say it, you got to go out there and do it. You got to go out there and be the most valuable player in the world in the best league in the world, and do it night in, night out. And you can say it as much as you want. At the end of the day, you got to put the pens to the paper and be it. So that’s where I hang my hat.”

Statistically, Gilgeous-Alexander has a compelling argument. He’s averaging 31.5 points per game, a shade under the league-leading 32.7 he averaged last season. His shooting percentage (55.1%) is up. His three-point percentage (38.9%) is up. And he remains one of the best defensive guards in the game.

“He’s definitely better [this season],” said Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.

How?

“Manipulation of the game in terms of playmaking,” said Daigneault. “He’s gone from a player that was kind of late to reads early in his career to reacting to the defense and now he’s manipulating the defense. He kind of knows where the help’s going to come from and what that means for his reads. And he’s able to manipulate playmaking the way that the great guards do.”

Wait, there’s more.

“I also think his leadership has only improved over time,” Daigneault continued. “He’s always been a great leader, but I think he’s become more intentional in understanding his gravity inside of the team and inside of the building. And then, I mean, the efficiency is crazy. The midrange, efficiency, the three-point shooting efficiency. He’s doing all that and not turning the ball over. So there are tangibles as well.”

Among them: Oklahoma City is winning. At 55–15, the Thunder own the NBA’s best record. That’s no surprise: OKC is the defending champion that brought back everyone from last season’s team. But it hasn’t been easy. The Thunder have lost the second-most games to injuries this season, more than everyone but Memphis. Many of them have been in the backcourt. Jalen Williams has been limited to 26 games this season. Alex Caruso has played 47. Lu Dort has missed stretches. Ajay Mitchell, too. That’s put more responsibility on Gilgeous-Alexander, who battled a midseason injury of his own.

“It’s felt a little bit different,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “Last year we didn’t have our frontcourt for a certain amount of time. But we had our backcourt. And the game is run by a backcourt. So it was easier to cope. But coping with no, I guess primary handler, primary creator, was just a little bit different, a little bit challenging. I think we grew from that, same way we grew from not having bigs a little bit last year.”

There’s an upside to the challenges. Being forced to deal with adversity has blunted any championship hangover. The focus has been there all season. Gilgeous-Alexander pointed to Wednesday’s 29-point win over the Nets. On the second night of a back-to-back and facing a tanking team, it would have been easy for Oklahoma City to look sluggish. Instead, the Thunder built a 28–11 first-quarter lead, led by 42 before halftime and ran away with a win.

“A lot of the season has been about enduring for us and playing the hand we’re dealt, especially in terms of player availability,” Daigneault said. “Which helps strengthen your metal, and also opens up some different options for you. I think we’ve discovered some stuff as a result of that process that can benefit us down the stretch.”

A fight for seeding will do that, too. Last season Oklahoma City had the top seed sewed up by St. Patrick’s Day. This one has been more competitive. The Thunder have been a fixture at the top of the standings but have been forced to fend off the surging Spurs—who have beaten OKC four times this season.

“For me it’s made things a lot more fun,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “You just play longer. Last year I feel like my break from playing to my first playoff game was a little bit too long because I was out the last week of the season because we had already wrapped things up. But yeah, I definitely think we’ll go into a playoff sharper this year.”

Is he happy with where the team is now?

“Yeah, absolutely,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “Winning basketball games is no secret. Who you play against brings different challenges, but we know what it’s going to be, we know what it’s going to come down to. It’s just about us getting it done and being ready to get it done. Getting to final form, we’re shaping up, guys are coming back. I feel like we’re in a good rhythm right now going into the postseason.”

A title puts a target on a team’s back. So, too, does winning MVP. The spotlight on Gilgeous-Alexander’s free throw attempts has brightened this season. Clips of questionable whistles quickly spread through social media. Earlier this month, Knicks coach Mike Brown said Gilgeous-Alexander “does a great job of convincing referees … that he’s getting hit.”

Gilgeous-Alexander shrugs at the criticism. He averages 9.1 free throw attempts this season, fewer than Luka Dončić (10.3) and tied with Deni Avdija. He points out the only time he averaged double-digit attempts was in 2022–23. “And nobody cared,” he says, “because we were the No. 10 seed.” He isn’t bothered by the internet outrage. He just points out the numbers don’t back it up.

“I understand why [fans] are frustrated about it, because they’re an X, Y and Z fan,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “They’re playing against us, and in the past couple years we’ve happened to beat their team. And we beat their team because we scored more points. We scored points at the free throw line, midrange, three-point shot, free throw, everything. So I completely understand why they’re frustrated.

“But you’ll never hear an OKC fan complain about my free throws. You’ll never hear a Denver fan complain about Jokić’s free throws. You’ll never hear a Lakers fan complain about Luka’s free throws. It’s just part of the business. But I love it, it creates buzz around the game. It creates rivalries. It creates energy. It’s what makes the NBA so fun. Honestly, the fact that they care so much is great, because they care, they watch it on TV, the TV deals grow, I get more money. It’s how it goes. That’s honestly how I see it. So I love it. It’s amazing. It makes the games more fun.”

None of it is surprising, he insists. Gilgeous-Alexander counts Chris Paul as one of his earliest mentors. In his first season in Oklahoma City, Paul told him: You know you are starting to do things when you go to other arenas and they boo you. “That’s very true,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. Let the crowds complain. Let the talking heads gripe. To Gilgeous-Alexander, it’s just evidence he’s doing something right.

“Everybody in the history of the NBA has an arc where everyone loves them, and then everyone hates them,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “LeBron James was hated, and look what he’s done for the game? It’s part of the game. I love it. It’s stuff I dreamed about as a kid.”

With that, Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed his bag and ducked out of the Thunder locker room, into the chilly Oklahoma City night. Now he was ready.

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