Really worthy of MVP? The way of playing is becoming more and more controversial, and frequent free throws are being won, Alexander becomes the target of public criticism!

Not long ago, the first game of the Western Conference Finals of the 24-25 season came to an end. Although the Thunder, who was at home, hit a 70:40 attack wave in the second half and finally defeated the Timberwolves 114:88, after the game, both the fan forum and media experts, they all criticized this year's MVP, that is, Thunder core Shea Gilgers Alexander, and pointed his unpleasant style of play. In the whole game, he scored 31 points, 5 rebounds and 9 assists. Logically speaking, this data list is indeed at the MVP level, but the problem is that his total shots were only 10 of 27 shots, which was not very efficient, and among them, the free throws reached 11 of 14 free throws, which caused many dissatisfaction among fans and the media. And what's worse is that this is not the first time Alexander has encountered doubts on the issue of free throws. Let's take a look at the recent controversy about Alexander's playing style and see what went wrong with him!

1. 30+ for three consecutive years, but behind it is an astonishing number of free throws.

First of all, it is undeniable that Alexander has made rapid progress in recent years, especially since the 22-23 season, he averaged 30+ points per game for three consecutive seasons, and this season he won the first scoring title of the top scorer in his career with 32.7 points, but the problem is that his scoring method and playing style have caused considerable doubts. It is also since the 22-23 season that his average free throws per game have been at the forefront of the league, 10.9, 8.7 and 8.8. This is the situation of Alexander's free throws in the past three seasons. And since the 22-23 season, his free throw shooting percentage has never been lower than 87.4%. In other words, in his conventional arsenal, free throws have become an indispensable weapon. However, unlike Kevin Martin back then, Martin would grasp the rules and rely on fake moves to get free throws, while Alexander was a little "demonic". He often took the initiative to lean on the defensive players when the offense was difficult, and even took the initiative to create "confrontation" to get free throws. For an MVP-level superstar, this should not happen. James Harden was criticized for this reason, and now it is Alexander's turn.

and what made other teams even more dissatisfied is that in the playoffs, Alexander and the Thunder frequently made profits when the rest of the players had almost no whistles. So far, Alexander has averaged 29.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists in the playoffs this season, but his shooting and three-point shooting percentages have dropped to 46.7% and 27.4% respectively. His overall efficiency is not as good as the regular season, but his free throws are still as high as 9.2. And when it is even more troublesome, often at critical moments and when the scores of both sides are in a stalemate, the referee's whistle will interfere with the game and make Alexander go to the free throw line. Whether it is Ja Morant in the first round, Jamal Murray in the second round, or Anthony Edwards currently, they have strongly expressed their dissatisfaction. After all, it’s okay to have fouls in the confrontation. The key is that many body whistles, and there is no foul at all, the referee will give Alexander a free throw. To make the most intuitive comparison, Edwards averaged 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, and he often broke into the penalty area, but averaged only 5.8 free throws per game, which is enough to show the problem. There is a reason why Alexander is unpopular.

2. The playoff performance was average, and the impact MVP was questioned.

Let’s talk about the ownership of this year’s MVP. Although MVP has always been awarded for regular season performance, this year’s MVP has not announced the results for a long time. A big reason is that the Nuggets and the Thunder met in the Western Conference semi-finals. As the two candidates for MVP this season, the showdown between Alexander and Nikola Jokic will naturally make the final ownership of the MVP gain unprecedented popularity. After defeating the Nuggets through the tiebreak battle, there is basically no suspense in the MVP. Even most fans and media believe that it will belong to Alexander, but it still aroused a lot of doubts. The problem is that Alexander's performance in this year's playoffs is indeed too average. Compared with the regular season, the average number of 29.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game in the playoffs is still good overall, but it is probably not enough for a MVP-level star. Moreover, after entering the playoffs, the problem of his insufficient three-point shooting has appeared again. In addition, the frequent offense searches for free throws has also affected the fans' impression, which will naturally cause considerable doubts.

Of course, another point that fans and media question whether Alexander is worthy of the MVP is that this Thunder team has too strong bottom-up capabilities. In the eyes of the outside world, even if other stars lead this team, there is a high probability that the data and performance will not be worse than Alexander. Entering the playoffs, Jaylen Williams averaged 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game, Chet Holmgren had 15.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, and Harten also contributed 10.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists. In addition to the strong players such as Caruso, Dort, and Wiggins, it can be said that among all the teams participating in the playoffs, the eliminated Celtics can compete with them. It is precisely for this reason that Jason Tatum, the core of the Celtics, missed the MVP all year round. Therefore, Alexander's style of play and the overall team's lineup made fans feel controversial. Of course, being selected for the best first team of the season in succession proves that Alexander is capable, but whether he can change the bad impression of fans and the media of him depends on how he adjusts in the next game.