Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA's 2024-25 regular season MVP. Despite his magnificent campaign, he has received criticism about his game. People have honed in on his tendencies to draw fouls from his opponents, which has frustrated people, including Western Conference Finals opponents, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It has become a big part of the basketball discourse because some feel he gets too many favorable calls. Against the Timberwolves, he received plenty of foul calls, and some can be argued as embellishment. Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone feels SGA becomes even tougher to guard because of the officials.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives against Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) in the fourth quarter during game two of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been dominant in their series against the Timberwolves. Gilgeous-Alexander has been excellent in the two games, with another performance of over 30 points. That has made it hard for the Timberwolves to adjust because they consider SGA's offense.
They are always left on an island when it comes to playing against the Gilgeous-Alexander because he can be unstoppable. Every time he drives into the paint, he always seeks out contact to draw fouls and score easy points. When he does not face much pressure, he has the offensive bag to get out of sticky situations and score the basketball.
Malone Feels Gilgeous-Alexander Gets Favorable Calls
Over the years, Gilgeous-Alexander has improved and grown into one of the best players in the league. He has always been elite at generating looks in the paint with his drives. Naturally, his drives to the paint lead to contact with opponents, which leads to him taking free throws.
However, there are times when he embellishes and forces contact against opponents. That has turned some people off his play style because he exaggerates the contact. Of course, plenty of star players have done that in the past, but Gilgeous-Alexander is under the microscope today.
This has led to people asking the experts what makes SGA such a tough player to guard. Thankfully, former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone was on the ESPN broadcast to discuss this.
"You gotta be ultra disciplined. It's almost impossible. You think about trying to guard the best offensive players nowadays, it becomes almost impossible," Malone said on SportsCenter. " A lot of times offensive players like Shai will initiate the contact or hook his arm looking to draw that contact. He is a foul artist as I mentioned earlier today. Discipline and you're hoping that the referees read how the game is being whistled."
The Timberwolves Must Defend Better Against The Thunder
With the Timberwolves down 0-2 after Game 2, they must improve their defensive performances. The team is a strong defensive unit, but they are not stopping Gilgeous-Alexander from scoring and dictating the game's pace.
Jaden McDaniels is tasked with defending him. He did well in the first half of Game 1. McDaniels has become more frustrated with every play, as evidenced by his flagrant foul after shoving SGA to the ground in Game 2. He must improve on his game and be more locked in without going too physical.
Players like Donte DiVincenzo, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Anthony Edwards should also do their best to defend without fouling. It is a tough assignment, but they must do it to win and come back against the Thunder.