OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was simply on another level this past season.
From his stupendous scoring efforts that led to him rattling off over 30 points a night for the second consecutive season to his defensive chops that saw him register a league-leading 2.0 steals per game as well as his best defensive box plus-minus rating to date (+2.3), there seemed to be no way for opposing teams to stop the two-time All-Star and All-NBA selectee.
And while the widely-accepted reason for why he was virtually unstoppable throughout 2023-24 was due to his on-court excellence, recently Los Angeles Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell also broached the notion that he may have also had some lenient calling from officiating crews.
D'Angelo Russell calls out Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
While discussing the Thunder centerpiece's excellence and how it's a popular belief that he was snubbed for the 2024 NBA MVP award on a recent episode of Run Your Race, Russell interjected by saying "They be letting him get away with this sh*t," followed by him extending his arm as a presumed way of impersonating the uncalled move.
The action suggested by Russell is SGA's use of his elbows in a swinging motion when driving the lane, something the league has officially declared a foul that, when called, holds a penalty of a turnover.
Per the NBA's own penalties and violations guidebook: A player shall not be allowed excessive and/or vigorous swinging of the elbows in swinging motion (no contact) when a defensive player is nearby and the offensive player has the ball.
In Russell's eyes, Gilgeous-Alexander is a frequenter of such a move, and receives minimal repercussions from referees for doing so.
SGA with the kiss off the glass@okcthunder | #ThunderUp | @BallySports pic.twitter.com/hDml55mv0K
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) April 22, 2024
Amid his praise-filled assessment of the Thunder star, with him going as far as to call him "a f*cking issue," host of the podcast and former NBA player, Theo Pinson would go on to agree with Russell, saying "yea, they let him" get away with the move.
Of course, in the end, all rightfully acknowledged that all players "get away with a lot of sh*t" in the NBA, which, especially among star players like SGA, has been the case for quite some time.
Nevertheless, even with his evasion of penalty calls with this particular move -- let's face it, he does get away with the occasional elbow and arm extension on drives to the rim --, it by no means diminishes or lessens the impact his skills and on-court attributes have on the game and, more importantly, on his team's successes