Trae Young hands Spurs fans receipts on SGA after OKC's "flopper" chants at Wemby

"I put my hand on his chest on the jumpshot... You would have thought I put an Iron Man hand through his chest at the way he flopped back," Trae Young just told Michael Porter Jr. about defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Four months ago, OKC's building chanted "flopper" at Victor Wembanyama in some twisted "I know you are, but what am I" deflection attempt, when we all know who that title belongs to.

Here's what makes that chant so rich. The guy those fans were defending has gotten to the free-throw line more than any player alive over the last three years, and it isn't particularly close.

Over the last three regular seasons, SGA has attempted 1,932 free throws. That's the most in the NBA. He's made 1,708 of them, which is 417 more than the next man on the list. 417 more makes, not attempts. That's an entire extra season of somebody else's free-throw production, stacked on top.

SGA's free-throw numbers make the Wemby chants look ridiculous

However, you have to look even deeper to really see how insane his standing charity stripe reservation is. Giannis is at 1,846 attempts over that same stretch, just 86 back. The Greek Freak is 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, and a physically imposing locomotive. Giannis makes his money by driving his body through whatever's standing between him and the rim, so you expect a bunch of free throws from him.

Shai is a 195-pound finesse-playing guard who does most of his damage from the midrange, but somehow he's getting the same whistle volume. You've never heard an arena chant "flopper" at Giannis because you respect how he gets there. It's different for the Thunder star, though. The flopping is an eyesore.

The Spurs did a solid job of keeping his trips to the line below his 2026 playoff average during the Western Conference Finals and he still averaged about 9 a game. That had to be a huge part of the game plan going into the series. It wasn't for a lack of trying on his part, though. Despite the Spurs showing their hands and playing him more carefully, he found his way to the floor way too often.

Our friends over at Thunderous Intentions ran a defense of Shai last season, but it actually argues my side. They pointed to his 50.4% clip on isolations, which was the best in the league among high-volume isolation scorers. That's a credit to his shot-making rather than officiating. That's fine, but you have to go further because that's the whole frustration.

The problem isn't SGA getting to the line, it's how he gets there

SGA is a smooth operator. He doesn't need to do this. His step-back is unguardable; his midrange is automatic; he can get a bucket whenever he wants one. Regardless of his elite capabilities, he throws his head back or collapses to the floor seeking whistles.

Trae Young followed up his initial remarks by saying, "It's just understanding the game; the best players in the world shoot the most free throws." He's half right. High-usage stars get fouled and always have. MJ, Kobe, and Harden all got fouled, and the list goes on. Nobody thinks a 30-point-per-game scorer should be living at four attempts a night. But that's not the criticism.

The destination isn't a problem, but the trip was awful. If you're going to take me to Hawaii for a luxury vacation, don't fly me on Spirit Airlines when you own a private jet. It's the flail, the head snap, etc. Ice Trae described that crazy sequence in detail and called it smart basketball in the same breath, which is an incredible thing to pull off in one answer.

Wemby has taken a beating for three years and mostly just eaten it, and he still winds up labeled the problem. Then he goes on the road, and a building full of people chant "flopper" at him while their own guy is out here doing WWE work on NBA floors nightly. It's ridiculous.

Shai's on the floor so much his logo should be a chalk outline. Look at your hometown hero before coming at Wembanyama. You have other things to worry about anyway, like whether or not Chet Holmgren will show up to the next Spurs-Thunder clash.

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