Austin Reaves and the undermanned Los Angeles Lakers face an uphill battle entering Tuesday’s Game 1 road clash against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ahead of their second-round Western Conference playoff series, Reaves candidly addressed Gilgeous-Alexander’s knack for drawing fouls, a skill that often sparks contentious debate across the NBA world.
Austin Reaves Gets Candid on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s High Free-Throw Volume
The Thunder once again cruised through the regular season, accumulating a league-best 64-18 record behind Gilgeous-Alexander’s offensive greatness, elite depth, and their No. 1-ranked defense.
They followed that up by sweeping through the postseason’s first round for the third straight year, facing little resistance from the eighth-seeded Phoenix Suns. Still, Gilgeous-Alexander’s divisive foul-drawing techniques once again stirred controversy in Round 1, with some accusing the reigning MVP of foul-baiting.
While Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the league in playoff scoring through four outings (33.8 points per game), he is also averaging an NBA-high 12.3 free-throw attempts a night. This includes scoring 25 points on 17 free-throw attempts in Game 1 against Phoenix.
However, Reaves sees no issue with the four-time All-Star regularly seeking out contact. When asked Sunday about the “similarities and differences in the act of drawing shooting fouls” between him and Gilgeous-Alexander, the Lakers standout offered a nuanced response.
“I know it’s a tough topic to talk about because everybody blows it out of proportion. But at the end of the day, he wants to win, and he’s gonna do whatever it takes to win,” Reaves said.
“If it’s shoot 20 free throws, so be it. If I shoot 20 free throws, I’d be happy. So, I don’t think that there’s any bad intentions with trying to get to the line. … It’s somewhat of a — I don’t know if I’d call it an art, but the way — how many possessions he has the ball in his hands and how much he does attack, you’re not gonna shoot zero free throws.”
Austin Reaves was asked about his and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to draw fouls.
“I know that’s a tough topic to talk about because everybody blows it out of proportion. He wants to win and is gonna do whatever it takes to win. If it’s shoot 20 free throws, so be it. If I… pic.twitter.com/tbwaO2i6e4
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) May 3, 2026
LA will likely be hard-pressed to match OKC’s firepower with superstar guard Luka Dončić (hamstring) still sidelined to begin Round 2. The Lakers were swept 4-0 in their regular-season series, with three of those losses ranging from 29 points to a season-worst 43-point defeat during Dončić’s last appearance on April 2.
As such, LA will need Reaves and his co-star, LeBron James, to be at their best offensively. Meanwhile, veteran guard Marcus Smart will have to turn back the clock defensively against Gilgeous-Alexander to help offset the Thunder’s vast two-way talent advantage.
