The Oklahoma City Thunder have hit on a pretty foolproof formula. They have a disruptive, suffocating defense that’s the best in the NBA, they’re young and extremely deep, and they’re led by the league’s deadliest scorer in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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SGA put up a historic season last year as he won the scoring title, the regular season MVP and the Finals MVP. He’s somehow gotten even better this year. He has been shooting a career-high 44.1% from 3-point range while guiding the Thunder to a 26-3 record and a real chance to challenge the 2015-16 Warriors for the best record of all time.
Shai has gotten a reputation of being a foul-baiter, or an unethical hooper, for his ability to get to the free throw line, but the reality is that defenders just don’t have an effective way to stop him. He’s too efficient, and too clinical in his execution, which causes opponents to gamble and get out of position while defending him.
On the latest episode of Mind the Game, LeBron James and Steve Nash discussed what, if anything, can be done to stop Shai.
“You gotta keep him off the free throw line, which is hard,” LeBron said. “He uses these angles, he knows how to manipulate the game, in a good way. He knows what to do, what not to do, he’s always looking for hands and arms and elbows if you’re in his space.”
“That’s just our game right now, you gotta respect it,” he continued.
“It’s the James Harden, how James was when James was dominant in Houston, but the more you can try to keep him off the free throw line, it helps … Shai’s going to make his 11 to 12 field goals a game at a high rate. That’s already 24 to 25 to 26 points right there … If you’re giving him also 12 to 13 free throws, which he shoots at a high clip too, that’s when 27 turns to 38,” LeBron explained.
LeBron is always able to break the game down in such a comprehensive way on this podcast, but Shai is so good right now that it actually left the King without many answers. Sure you want to keep Shai off the free throw line, but how do you do that without giving him uncontested layups each time down the floor?
“You have to be disciplined,” is about all LeBron could offer. “I know it’s tough, because you want to stop him so bad, but you have to understand that the greatest defense in the world has never been able to beat the greatest offense,” he suggested.
LeBron was diplomatic in the way he discussed SGA’s ability to get to the free throw line. He kind of has to be since his own teammate, Luka Doncic, is actually leading the league by a large margin with 12.1 free throw attempts per game. Shai “only” has 9.4, just a smidge more than Austin Reaves, another Laker.
If the Lakers are to have any chance of hanging with the Thunder, their best bet may be to outscore them, but that’s a lot easier said than done since their team defense is so superlative. L.A. has played OKC just once so far this year, and while, in fairness, they didn’t have LeBron in that game, they still trailed by 32 at halftime and were fortunate to only lose by 29.
