Mark Daigneault began to sound the alarm about the treatment of the Thunder by the refereeing body which he considers unfair, or at least unbalanced. Numbers never lie, and the ones that the Thunder coach has in his possession have the gift of driving him crazy. The teammates of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have accumulated the most drives on average in a match since the start of the season.
A particularity which should be felt in the free throws generated, even if there is no truth, and each drive has its own. All the same, Mark Daigneault has reason to complain when he sees the number of times his team goes to the penalty line: 19.6 times on average over the first 13 games, the 28th average in the league! Enough to slightly strain the OKC strategist, even if his protégés have had a superb start to the season, reaching first place in the Western conference.
“People ask me how we can improve, and I answer that we can only improve if we go to the throwing line when we put such pressure on the circle with our drives. I was frustrated with those guys that night, but it was the accumulation of a lot of frustration.”he then explained after the victory against the Suns.
A question of principle
In his fight, coach Daigneault will not be able to count on his leader to support him! Even if he is paradoxically the first concerned, he who accumulates the most drives on average in the entire league, with 22 drives per game – only Jalen Brunson has more than 20 on average among the rest of the NBA -. In addition, SGA could deplore having seen its number of passes on the line drop at the start of the year compared to the two previous seasons with “only” 7.2 throws attempted per match, still placing it in 5th place in the ranking in this exercise.
It is more of a philosophical question for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has always favored good understanding with the refereeing body, whether it translates into these terms or not.
“There is so much happening on the ground. The last thing I worry about is whether I'm going to get a whistle. I let the coach manage that with the officials. I know it's quite a community. I know it's more complicated than it looks. But I don't have the time or energy to worry about all that. If I feel like I'm at fault, I'll let them know in a nice way. Hope they enjoy it and pay attention to the next action”, he declared.
SGA added that he has held this line of conduct since his childhood, and it is necessarily an attitude to encourage among younger people.
“Talking to referees, complaining, is something I never did, and I imagine it wasn't tolerated, from my coaches or my parents, when I was playing younger. I guess it's something I've carried with me ever since. If anyone asks me, it’s a waste of my time and energy.”
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | LAKE | 82 | 27 | 47.6 | 36.7 | 80.0 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 10.8 |
| 2019-20 | OKC | 70 | 35 | 47.1 | 34.7 | 80.7 | 0.7 | 5.2 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 19.0 |
| 2020-21 | OKC | 35 | 34 | 50.8 | 41.8 | 80.8 | 0.5 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 23.7 |
| 2021-22 | OKC | 56 | 35 | 45.3 | 30.0 | 81.0 | 0.7 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 24.5 |
| 2022-23 | OKC | 68 | 36 | 51.0 | 34.5 | 90.5 | 0.9 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 31.4 |
| 2023-24 | OKC | 75 | 34 | 53.5 | 35.3 | 87.4 | 0.9 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 30.1 |
| 2024-25 | OKC | 13 | 33 | 49.2 | 30.7 | 89.4 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 27.9 |
| Total | 399 | 33 | 49.6 | 34.6 | 85.3 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 23.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
