Over the recent weeks, there has been an uptick in foul-baiting accusations thrown in the direction of OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Numerous players and coaches have had something to say after recent losses, and the topic doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.
Though it appears SGA's free-throw attempts are the only thing opposing teams can talk about, they are forgetting one crucial element that makes his foul-baiting so effective in the first place.
For the reigning MVP to draw fouls, he first has to make the defense respect his ability to shoot.
Thunder superstar forces defenses to respect the foul bait
Former NBA guard Lou Williams said it best when he came to SGA's aid in a recent episode of the Run It Back podcast.
"For [foul-baiting] to even be effective for players, you have to be able to score the basketball. That's why [defenders] respect the head fake. That's why they're running up and trying to guard him the way that they are trying to guard him, because you have to respect his ability to score the basketball," Williams said.
In his defense of the Thunder star, Williams said what everybody else in the league has been refusing to admit: Shai is simply so good that defenders can't help but overcommit on his pump fakes.
For the better part of last two years now, Shai has been one of the purest, if not the purest, scorers in the NBA.
Last season, he led the league in scoring, but even without free throws, he ranked first in the category.
This year has been more of the same.
He currently ranks third in points per game without free throws, and his true shooting percentage is historically high for someone who shoots at such a high volume.
The fact that he has elite free-throw numbers to go along with his impeccable floor shooting is not unique.
In fact, over the past five years, 84.0 percent of players who finish in the top five in free throw attempts average over 24.0 points per game.
SGA's free throw numbers match up with historically great scorers
Shai's 9.1 free throws per game are in the same realm as a plethora of other all-time great scorers.
They align with some of LeBron James' early years with the Cavs, when he registered 9.0 or more free throw attempts per game in five straight seasons.
Michael Jordan also registered over 9.0 free throws per game in multiple seasons, even averaging as high as 11.9 free throws in 1987.
In fact, every year over the past decade, there has been at least one player averaging double-digit free throws. Elite scorers like Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have all done it multiple times.
While the league whines about SGA's whistle, it's important to note that he is not the only player with the privilege.
It is reserved for players who know how to manipulate defenses and score the basketball at elite levels, and it is no mystery that the Thunder cornerstone has firmly entrenched himself in that category.