Lakers' Austin Reaves Gives His Take on SGA Free Throw Discourse

The Oklahoma City Thunder's second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers begins on May 5, but the matchup has already been a topic of conversation on social media.

OKC's recent success has made the Thunder one of the NBA's most popular and polarizing teams, while the Lakers' history, location and roster makeup has placed Los Angeles in the same category. There should be plenty of eyes on the Western Conference Semifinals, and the series has already made headlines as both teams spoke to the media on Sunday, May 3.

Lakers' head coach JJ Reddick was complimentary of the Thunder, who went 4-0 against Los Angeles in the regular season.

One of the Lakers' stars, fifth-year guard Austin Reaves, was asked about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's ability to draw free throws, a topic that has been heavily discussed during the 2025-26 season.

Like his head coach, Reaves was complimentary of the Thunder's superstar, highlighting his talent and will to win.

"I know that's a tough topic to talk about because everybody blows it out of proportion," Reaves said. "(Gilgeous-Alexander) wants to win and is going to do whatever it takes to win. If it's shoot 20 free throws, so be it. If I shoot 20 free throws, I'd be happy. I don't think there's any bad intentions with trying to get to the line."

Austin Reaves was asked about his and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's ability to draw fouls.

"I know that's a tough topic to talk about because everybody blows it out of proportion. He wants to win and is gonna do whatever it takes to win. If it's shoot 20 free throws, so be it. If I… pic.twitter.com/tbwaO2i6e4
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) May 3, 2026

Reaves is also skilled at getting to the free throw line, averaging 7.3 attempts per game compared to Gileous-Alexander's 9 free throw attempts per contest. Gilgeous-Alexander was third in the NBA in free throw attempts per game, behind Reaves' teammate, Luka Doncic, and Deni Avdija.

Doncic also lead the NBA in total free throw attempts, shooting 645 in the regular season compared to 614 from Gilgeous-Alexander, who was second in total free throw attempts. Doncic appeared in 64 regular season games compared to 68 from SGA.

Reaves is coming off a first-round series that saw him play in just two games as he returned from an injury suffered towards the end of the regular season. With Doncic expected to miss at least the first few games of the Western Conference Semifinals, Reaves will have to shoulder more of the Lakers' offense, alongside LeBron James.

In the regular season, Reaves averaged 23.3 points, 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 49% from the field and 36% from 3-point range. Stopping Reaves, who, like Gilgeous-Alexander, is skilled at drawing contact on shot attempts and drives to the basket, will be key for OKC in its second-round matchup.

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