Bullet point summary by AI
- The NBA Finals feature a matchup between the Knicks and Spurs. During press events, Stephon Castle threw subtle shade at OKC guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
- Castle noted Jalen Brunson tries to score rather than draw fouls. This contrasted with SGA’s postseason average of nearly 10 free throw attempts per game.
- SGA’s reputation as a flopper is overshadowing his elite talent. Persistent player callouts could force Commissioner Adam Silver to address the issue.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is barely a week into the NBA offseason and he’s still catching strays. San Antonio Spurs’ guard Stephon Castle was asked about the difference in defending SGA and Jalen Brunson, who he’s tasked with defending in the NBA Finals. Without realizing it (or maybe it was intentional), Castle threw shade at SGA while also highlighting just how talented Brunson is as an undersized guard.
“Mostly it’s his angles and trying to get to his spots; not really trying to draw fouls as much,” Castle said ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
That’s a direct shot at the back-to-back MVP, whether intended or not. Which is fair considering the Spurs did beat Oklahoma City in seven games in the Western Conference Finals and the fact the discourse around SGA and his flopping antics is at an all-time high. When you go from trying to keep yourself from giving up a foul to playing real defense, it’s a bit of a challenge.
M-V-Phlopper?: The discourse around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his flopping antics
As much as you want to defend SGA and how good of a player he is, you can’t ignore the fact that he is a flopper. Don’t take my word for it, though; go look at his postseason stats this year. He shot 132-for-148 from the free throw line in 15 total postseason games. That’s an average of nearly 10 free throw attempts per game. While that doesn’t instantly mean he has unethical free throw attempts, he does have more trips to the free throw line than most players.
He actually had as many made field goal shots (132) as he did free throws made, which is interesting as well. You don’t have to watch an OKC game long to see Gilgeous-Alexander appear to bait referees into calling fouls on his shooting attempts. It’s so bad, there’s even a montage video featuring all of SGA’s flops in the playoffs. It’s four minutes long. Maybe part of the reason the Spurs were able to get past OKC was because he didn’t get as many foul calls as he usually does.
Regardless, Castle’s statement wasn’t as much of a dig as it was showing the difference in the play styles. SGA is good enough to be just as hard to guard as Jalen Brunson without all the flopping. Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander becoming the poster child for flopping has slightly tarnished his legacy. SGA’s rise to stardom wasn’t centered around flopping, but now that’s all people can talk about. Even ESPN’s Jay Williams took time to attack SGA’s flopping.
Was Stephon Castle right to throw shade at SGA’s flopping?
It was fair for Castle to throw shade at SGA over his flopping problem. The more it gets talked about, the more likely change is to happen. I say this because think about the tanking problem the NBA had. They corrected – and probably over-corrected at that – the problem immediately, making that a priority. If players continue to call out Gilgeous-Alexander for his excessive flopping antics, you have to think NBA commissioner Adam Silver will keep that at the forefront of his mind.
Brunson’s way of playing is built around using his smaller frame to get to his spots and make the tough shots he makes look easy. SGA should have that same mentality and, as a tall guard, should be elite at getting to his spots. For the most part he does. The flopping is the part that jades the rest of his game. It’s also fair for Castle to call this out because he explicitly talked about the difference in guarding them.
Each player poses different challenges. When guarding SGA, you can be aggressive but have to know when to pull back because he will bait you into getting called for a touchy foul. As for Brunson, he’s a challenge because he’s so good at getting around defenders. He has some of the best footwork of any NBA player, and despite being 6-foot-2, plays like a bigger guard with how he finishes inside.
Castle calling out SGA wasn’t supposed to be a jab. But the fact that Gilgeous-Alexander’s flopping is still being discussed even when he’s not playing shows the NBA has a problem with one of the faces of their league.
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