Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault addressed his All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s free-throw shooting efficiency since the All-Star break. Amid Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP-caliber season with the Thunder, he’s earned the “free-throw merchant” moniker in 2024-25. However, for Daigneault, Shai’s frequent trips to the free-throw line are a testament to his elite offensive prowess.
Still, since the All-Star break, that hasn’t been the case. For Daigneault, the fouls on Gilgeous-Alexander haven’t been consistent, he said during his media availability.
“I think Shai’s being officiated a little bit differently right now, to be honest with you, specific to him,” Daigneault said. “Some of the plays they’re not getting, and some of the plays they’re putting on the side instead of rewarding shots for is different than it was. I don’t think the whistle universally is different. Last year, the data supported that. It wasn’t like an opinion; that was a fact. The bigger thing with the whistle this year is I think it’s a lot different night-to-night.
“I thought the way the game got called in Milwaukee 24 hours after the way the game was called in Detroit, we might as well have been playing in different leagues, honestly. The level of physicality that was allowed in the Detroit game and then the tightness of the whistle in Milwaukee was night and day,” Daigneault concluded.
The Thunder head coach says this is his subjective opinion that’s not based on data.
“I think they’re laying off some plays that he got earlier in the year on him,” Daigneault added. “He’s still just as hard to guard at the end of the day. Fouling is about the legality of the defender; whether or not the defender is legal or not, he puts guys in a position not to be legal quite a bit because he’s hard to stay in front of.”
Doc Rivers’ take on Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers says Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has exceeded expectations. While he predicted a star for Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault, who was an assistant before taking over in 2020, Rivers admits Gilgeous-Alexander’s growth surprised him.
Rivers revealed his take on Gilgeous-Alexander amid Sunday’s matchup, per the Associated Press.
“I don’t think anybody in the world saw this in [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander],” Rivers said. “We did think he was going to be really, really good. I thought he was going to be a star. I said it when we traded him. But to see this, I don’t think anyone can honestly say they knew he was going to be this special.”
Rivers and the Clippers dealt Gilgeous-Alexander in a blockbuster trade with the Thunder in 2019.
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