The NBA Finals are in the full focus of the basketball world, and for a good reason. The San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks are trading blow for blow, with neither team willing to sacrifice an inch or back down. All eyes are on the matchup between Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson, who each have the claim to be called the best player in basketball at the moment.
However, beneath all the Finals hype, there is one guy who somewhat fell into the background with the recent way things unfolded. The reigning two-time MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander .
After the Oklahoma City Thunder were booted out in a thrilling Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, it seems like the hype train, or hate train, took a back seat. All those foul-baiting narratives are now not bothering anybody as much as before.
Charles Oakley recently gave his two cents on the Thunder superstar and suggested that the postseason exposed certain weaknesses in Shai's game.
"I don't look at it like that, but when you win, you get hate. And I think SGA is a great player, great scorer, but he is not a great athlete," Oakley argued in his recent interview on 95.7 The Game show.
While they were still in the hunt to defend their championship, the Thunder, and especially their ring leader Shai, caught plenty of criticism across social media because of their alleged flopping and willingness to operate right on the edge of what many fans considered acceptable basketball. Naturally, SGA found himself at the center of most of those conversations.
A clear distinction quickly emerged between those who viewed the Canadian guard as a master of his craft, someone capable of bending the rules in his favor, and those who believed that style of play was simply difficult to watch.
Oakley appears to lean more toward the first group.
After all, drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line is still a way of putting points on the board and helping your team win games. The retired big man acknowledged that reality while also arguing that Shai compensates for a lack of elite athletic tools with an incredibly advanced understanding of angles, timing and how to manipulate defenders.
Instead of jaw-dropping athleticism, SGA relies on footwork, patience and his ability to get defenders off balance before making his move.
According to Oakley, that approach works most of the time. But when longer, more physical defenders are able to stay attached to him, it becomes significantly harder.
"And now that you see, there is a lot of wings that can check him and get into him, and he got to score so he got to do whatever he can to score. Push off… If they let James Harden take two steps backwards he taking two steps forward, that's his game, let him go," Oak Tree concluded.
In the WCF against the Spurs, Shai was head and shoulders above the rest of the Thunder squad, which was somewhat limited by the presence of a once-in-a-lifetime type of defensive presence in Wemby, paired with young and feisty guards who caused problems on the perimeter and allowed guys to get to the cup, where a 7'4" Frenchman was waiting.
While Shai still put up respectable numbers in games where he attempted fewer than 10 free throws, averaging 24.3 points and 8.3 assists, it was a far cry from the efficiency that defined his regular season. And it seems many of those struggles come on nights that he isn't able to get to the line. That is ultimately where Oakley's argument comes from.
Drawing fouls and getting to the line is the bread and butter of SGA's game, and there is nothing wrong with that if it helps his team win. However, once that part of the game becomes harder to rely on, Shai may get exposed for the lack of pure athleticism Oakley was talking about.
Related: "It was a failure" – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander gets candid about the Thunder's 2025-26 season
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
