While most may chastise OKC Thunder cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for his foul line activity, Wizards star Trae Young seems to have a different take on the subject.
The biggest critique of SGA's game across the league is how often he shoots free throws. From claims that defenders aren't even allowed to touch him to some, such as LeBron James, suggesting that taking this aspect of his game away is the solution to slowing him down, just or not, SGA is now widely regarded as the NBA's newest "free throw merchant."
However, unlike the rest of his peers, Young is of the belief that this charity stripe activity is not necessarily a negative but, rather, a sign of respect for just how good the Thunder superstar is.
During a recent appearance on the Curious Mike podcast, Young recounted a time from last season when Shai drew a shooting foul on him in what he described as coming in "flop" fashion.
In an interesting turn of events, however, instead of complaining about the situation, Young almost came across as impressed by Gilgeous-Alexander's antics, stressing that it's a sign that he understands how the game works and capping off by saying "the best players in the world shoot the most free throws."
If that's the case, then it's safe to assume Young views the Thunder star as the top player in the NBA today.
High free throw activity is a skill and Thunder star leads the charge
To both Young and Brooklyn Nets forward/ Curious Mike podcast host, Michael Porter Jr., the skill set used by players to draw fouls is something to be admired.
Clearly, Gilgeous-Alexander's craft is arguably the most fine-tuned among all his peers in this regard.
In each of the last four seasons, the Thunder star has ranked within the top five in free throw attempts per game, placing as high as third in both 2022-23 and 2024-25, and finishing fourth in this particular category just last season with 9.0 a night.
Of course, making it to the free throw line is merely just half the battle in this area of play. Capitalizing on the opportunity is where it counts the most.
Fortunately, Gilgeous-Alexander has no problems on this front. Since 2022, he's converted the most total foul shots in the entire NBA, knocking down 540 of his 614 attempts in 2025-26, a success rate of 87.9 percent.
To Young and Porter, taking full advantage of this skill is what helps players "win games" for their teams. With this in mind, it's no wonder the Thunder have finished with the top record in the Western Conference and have taken home the Larry O'Brien Trophy over the span of just the last three seasons.
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