As Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is showing why he's the MVP of the NBA in the Western Conference Finals with the team up 2-0, there have been many critics about his style of play. With some saying that the Thunder guard baits for fouls during the game just to get cheap points at the free-throw line, former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone would speak about the way he's been successful.

This season, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 8.8 free throw attempts, making 7.7, but the past two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves have seen an increase. He attempted 14 in Game 1 and 15 in Game 2 as Malone called him a “foul artist” on ESPN's Scott Van Pelt show.

“I think that's an easy way to put it. Obviously, you watch the last series against Denver. I'll tell you what, you got to be ultra disciplined,” Malone said. “Yeah, it's almost impossible. You think about trying to guard the best offensive players in the league nowadays, it becomes almost impossible. Any contact, a lot of times, offensive players like Shai will initiate the contact, will hook his arm, looking to draw that contact.”

“He is a foul artist, as I mentioned earlier today,” Malone said. “So discipline, and you're hoping that the referees read how the game is being whistled after allowing you to be a little bit more aggressive. You can do that. But once again, he's been living at the foul line. 14 free throw attempts game, 15 tonight, that's not going to get it done.”

Michael Malone on the type of whistle the Thunder star gets

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game two of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots in the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game two of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
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Still, there's no denying how special the Thunder star in Gilgeous-Alexander has been this past season, resulting in his first MVP award as he averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, five rebounds, 1.7 steals, and one block per game. This all while shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

However, it has been a popular narrative to have about the 26-year-old that he relies on his ability to draw fouls, though a lot of the top stars in the league have been accused of the same. Malone would be asked by Van Pelt about the “whistle” that Gilgeous-Alexander gets, which led to a simple response from the former Nuggets head coach.

“Favorable,” Malone said.

At any rate, Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City are on the quest for a title as they're up 2-0 to Minnesota with Game 3 on Saturday.