On May 31st, former NBA player Richard Jefferson talked about some controversial voices in the league regarding Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) when participating in the "Road Trippin'" program, especially the doubts surrounding his excessive free throws.

Jefferson bluntly said that the criticism of SGA's averaging 9 free throws per game is " absurd " . He said: " I have had several seasons in my career where I averaged 7 to 8 free throws per game. I remember three or four seasons where I averaged 8 , but I never made the All-Star Game. If I don't get recognition for that, now we are sitting here and criticizing an MVP candidate for taking 9 free throws . It's just the stupidest thing. "

He added: " We are nitpicking. This is exactly why young players today don't want to be the face of the league - because no matter what they do, there will always be people who will find fault with them. If you don't play hard enough, they will say you are soft. If you are skilled, they will say you rely on the whistle. Even taking more free throws is a crime. "

According to statistics, Jefferson did have a good impact in his peak season - averaging 8.2 free throws per game in the 2005 season , 7.4 in 2006 , and 8.3 in 2008. But despite this, he was never selected for the All-Star team, which also caused some discussion that year. However, compared with now, fans at that time would not be too concerned about a player's free throw number.

SGA has performed extremely well this season and is the core of the Thunder's sudden rise and the best record in the Western Conference. He averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game. He also improved significantly on the defensive end and was selected to the All-Defensive Team. Although he had nearly 9 free throws , most of them came from reasonable calls after attacking the basket, not " pie-in-the-sky " fouls, which is why many commentators and players are dissatisfied with him.

Jefferson went on to say: " We have now reached a point where we have overcorrected. Whenever a player performs well, he will always be questioned as to whether he got there by whistle , rather than recognizing his ability and hard work. "

It is worth noting that SGA not only has a stable output in terms of data, but also shows strong stability and key ball handling ability. He has long been one of the top guards in the league. In contrast, free throws are only part of his scoring method and cannot define his overall value.

Jefferson's remarks also resonated with many on social media. One fan commented: " Even a veteran can't stand it anymore. Now the trolls are even talking about free throws. It's really double standards. " Another netizen joked: " If SGA was born in Jefferson's era, he would probably be the top vote-getter , MVP, and All-Star starter three times in a row. "

It is not difficult to see that the controversy about SGA's free throws is just a microcosm of the current NBA public opinion environment. The real value always lies in the player's comprehensive performance and leadership on the field, not the number of free throws.