Richard Jefferson hits back at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's critics by refuting the narrative

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Richard Jefferson hits back at Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's critics by refuting the narrative originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the league's best players over the past few seasons. He won his second consecutive MVP award this season, further cementing his status as one of the game's greats.

Despite his excellent performances for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander has become known as a flopper. He does sell contact, but that is normal for star players like him because it is a reliable way to generate easy points at the free-throw line.

The narratives about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are still surprising for Richard Jefferson​

For a former player like Richard Jefferson, he is baffled by how much backlash SGA is getting for being skilled at drawing fouls. He does exaggerate contact at times, but that is normal for any top-tier scorer across NBA history.

There were even some numbers by Yahoo Sports' Tom Haberstroh that pointed out how many times Shai fell to the floor after a jump shot. It has been well-established that SGA does that to land properly because he could roll his ankle if he does not do that.

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It has become a fixture of the discourse surrounding the Western Conference Finals between the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. For Jefferson, this is unfortunate because SGA is playing well, but free throws are overshadowing his performances and the rest of the series.

"If you take away every free throw that Shai shoots and has shot, if you take away free throws from the game of basketball, he is still top two or three in scoring. That’s how many buckets he gets, his efficiency, and 50+ for multiple years," Jefferson said on The Road Trippin' Show.

"So, the narrative is if I don’t like a player, I can lead into a narrative. If I’m talking about the opposing team... So, like that narrative can be driven without people trying to actually impose it."

As Gilgeous-Alexander continues to stand out as one of the league's mega stars, this narrative will continue to fuel his critics. Thankfully for Thunder fans, SGA does not really mind what is being said about him.

More NBA news:​

• How Jared McCain earned his way to becoming a key player for Mark Daigneault in the 2026 Playoffs
• Mark Daigneault is pleased to see Chet Holmgren being aggressive
• Stephon Castle believes the Spurs are not getting the same luxury to be as physical as the Thunder
• Mitch Johnson wants Victor Wembanyama to be more aggressive in Game 6
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might not be the deciding factor for the WCF vs the Spurs

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