Over the past few years, OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has built up a reputation for being the league's newest "free throw merchant" -- a player who supposedly hunts for favorable foul calls to shoot free throws and pad their scoring numbers.
Though many arguments have been made for why such a label is rather unjust for the game's newly anointed MVP, none have seemed to quiet the haters.
Even during this year's magical postseason run, SGA continues to face such criticisms, to which he has publicly stated, "I don't care," and that he even sees it "as a compliment."
Now, as we approach their 2025 NBA Finals matchup against the Pacers, it's safe to assume that the Thunder star is bound to hear the hate from keyboard warriors and opposing fans alike rise to all-time levels, as Indiana has proven themselves to be the optimal opponent when it comes to stacking up foul line visits.
Thunder star could lean into 'free throw merchant' narrative vs Pacers
Through three rounds of action in this year's postseason, Indiana has played like quite a slap-happy squad.
They head into the title-round ranking in with the most personal fouls committed per game at 23.2 and, in turn, the most free throws attempted against them at 28.6 per game.
Now, to this point in the playoffs, the Pacers have fortunately managed to stave off any potential catastrophic ramifications that could come with this rather undesirable type of production, as their opponents have converted at the seventh-worst clip from the charity stripe at 76.8 percent.
Of course, now they find themselves rolling into a series against a Thunder team that not only has totaled the second-most attempts from the line in this year's postseason (385), but wrapped up the regular season with the best success rate in the association at 81.9 percent.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander personally recorded the second-most free throw attempts on the year with 669, cashing in on a league-leading 601 of them (89.8 percent).
Although the free-throw merchant moniker may not be entirely fair, it undeniably shows that both he and this Oklahoma City team as a whole are more than capable of making an opposing team pay for sending them to the foul line.
Unless the Indiana Pacers somehow finally manage to change their ways, the sound of whistle blows could become quite prevalent during the 2025 NBA Finals, which would bode well for SGA and the Thunder.