Jay Williams defended the 2024-25 MVP from a free throw shooting story.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the 2024-25 regular season MVP award for stars such as Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Despite this monumental award, people are discussing his free throw.
Free throws are a big part of his game, but many of his star players play this way too. All superstar scorers thrive on the free throw line, and criticism becomes strange for some. Yes, opponent’s complaints are valid for contacts, but that’s not against the rules.
Thankfully there is a pushback to the story, where Jay Williams is a large part of it.
Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t mind critics as he knows he’s under the skin of his enemies.
It helps his team as his opponent gets too emotional when playing against OKC. Even Denver Nuggets head coach David Adelman called him a “foul artist.”
Winning is important to him and Thunder. But the majority of the NBA community has been far too difficult with Gilgeous-Alexander. That’s why people like Williams are stepping in to convince people how MVPs dominate the league.
“But let’s actually check the receipt. 135 free throw attempts, wild, mind-mindling correct? LeBron, 188 in 2009.
“Shy is doing what legends always do. Now that’s the problem. It’s cool. Let’s go retroactively calling MJ as a finesse in a free throw.
“You can acknowledge what’s actually going on. The SGA is unstable.
“Some people just get mad because they don’t do that on loud shoe deals or reality shows. The same move, the new era, stop crying, and defend.”
Of all the strange criticisms, Gilgeous-Alexander remains the NBA’s most impressive offensive player. He continued to play his game and didn’t mind complaints about his style.
He continues to play as a top star, so that’s the right way to approach it. The Thunder is competing for the championship, so he doesn’t want to think about anything else. By continuing this path, Gilgeous-Alexander can bring the trophy to Oklahoma City.
His success with Thunder could make him the best player in franchise history. That would be an impressive achievement that drives him more than Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
The championship is now the only important thing for SGA and Thunder. They don’t care about all the critics. Because they prove they’re wrong every time in court. The Western Conference Finals are not over, so Thunder will not speak until he finishes the task at hand.