Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can't be stopped because He shoots a lot of free throws, or he shoots a lot of free throws because Can't he stop?
SGA is healthy and second in the NBA 8.9 Free throw attempts per game And it has become the subject of a rather misleading online discussion. Yes, he's in contact, and yes, his score is supported by a lot of free throws. But his 8.9 is not actually an outlier in the history of the top scorers in the NBA. These James Harden numbers).
However, that's not the point either. If you want to come on this journey with me, we are someone like SGA – foul hunting and everything actually health For basketball.
First: Ability to get a foul make Someone can't stop it, not the other way around. Isn't Joel Embiid's ability to reach the free throw line a large part of his greatness? And then Giannis Antetokounmpo's… and James Harden's… And Michael Jordan and LeBron James And, ah wait, All the great players at NBA History's Great?
Harden won with more free throws filming the MVP awards than Shai.SGA is a free throw merchant? “Is the wrong question hidden inside it?
Let's consider the meaning of each answer: For foul hunting teeth The worse, the NBA needs to make major changes to the rules of moderators. Trying to foul is ridiculous and there is a great reason why all the best scorers get to the line as well. The SGA is no exception, and the NBA scoring leader is Most of the time In the top three of the free throw attempts (Stephen Curry is the main exception, a function of how much of his scoring comes from the three).
If the NBA punishes offensive players to initiate contact or reduces fouling effectiveness by expanding the way defenders legally compete, the superstars have to fundamentally change the way they play. Most fans will invite these changes and want the game to be more “ethical” and there will be fewer stops.
But there's definitely a reason why the whistle has become so tight, perhaps because foul hunting hasn't been historically successful in the playoffs, as well as security guards like the SGA and Harden. However, if the league actually leaps towards this and tries to formally “fix” this “problem”, it will require more than a subjective host. A fundamental change is required. And is it all really good?
Reducing the effectiveness of foul hunting will significantly reduce the value of driving to the basket. This, of course, means that players will take more than three. It will change the statistical game that is already stacked against paint Completely In response. Certainly, the game will be “more physical” at first…until crime gives up physicality completely, and gives up space, space, space, and space for jump shots. And do we actually want? more Three? league Certainly it doesn't seem to think so.
How about removing a free throw? That's not good yet. Penalties below “Points” cause the same 3-point apocalypse, and out-of-use ideas like 5-4 power plays and bonus deletions become offensive players Absurd Effective and the opposite of what we all want.
In short, I don't know how the viewable NBA survives a world where drawing fouls is not a legitimate strategy. It tilts the court to make it more balanced and actually uses all 94 feet. Perhaps what SGA is actually doing is leveraging the rules that keep the game where it is supposed to be. we need Foul hunting to see how the league wants it. It is not unethical, but rather completely natural. Because true basketball isn't pretty and the best players have understood for decades. SGA is just the latest example.
