Austin Reaves gets honest about his and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's ability to draw fouls

Feb 12, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) dribbles against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers had a superb first-round series as they beat the Houston Rockets in six games. For the last two games, Austin Reaves has been active, and he has been a welcome addition to the Lakers' rotation that desperately needed an offensive boost.

Now, they will be playing against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the defending champions. It will be a challenging matchup for the Lakers, especially since they have to defend against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Since this is a matchup between Reaves and SGA, many NBA fans are alluding to their affinity for drawing fouls.

Austin Reaves responds to questions about his and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's free throws

Throughout NBA history, there have been many dominant offensive players. Despite what their numbers and reputation suggest, many of them dominated with the free-throw line in mind. Names like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan had solid parts of their game thriving from the free-throw line.

Unfortunately, that is looked down upon now because some players are skilled enough to draw legitimate fouls. Two of them will be playing in the Lakers vs Thunder series, and those are Reaves and Gilgeous-Alexander.

MORE: Austin Reaves' big decision that could lead to a massive contract extension

Drawing fouls and shooting free throws are part of the game. It is a polarizing topic for a lot of people, but for certain players like Reaves and SGA, they know it's part of the game, so they will do their best to take advantage of it because it can lead to getting more wins.

"I know that's a tough topic to talk about because everybody blows it out of proportion. He wants to win and is gonna do whatever it takes to win. If it's shoot 20 free throws, so be it. If I shoot 20 free throws, I'd be happy. I don't think there are any bad intentions with trying to get to the line," Reaves said after a Lakers practice ahead of their series against the Thunder.

Reaves makes a great point there because that is how the game is played. They need to take every advantage they can get because NBA games are won in the margins. If Reaves or SGA's ability to get into the free-throw line can win games, they will keep doing it because the result is all that matters.

More NBA news:

• The Los Angeles Lakers' gamble as they are playing for the future alongside Luka Doncic
• The reason behind Will Anderson Jr. helping LeBron James up
• JJ Redick speaks about his true feelings for LeBron James in the GOAT debate
• How Bronny James did something that Michael Jordan never did in his NBA career
• How Rui Hachimura now has a remarkable all-time NBA Playoffs record to his name