Steve Kerr Reveals ‘problem' With Nba Rules After Sga's 15 Free-throw Attempts

Steve Kerr reveals ‘problem' with NBA rules after SGA's 15 free-throw attempts originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

NBA officiating feels like an eternal debate these days, as many fans, analysts, players and coaches often share their opinions on how the game’s rules should be altered or enforced better.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, of course, never is shy to share his thoughts, as he did after Golden State’s 104-97 loss Saturday to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Thunder star and reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 27 points, largely from shooting 14 of 15 from the free-throw line. After the game, Kerr explained how players like Gilgeous-Alexander exploit NBA rules to draw lots of fouls.

“Well, he’s incredibly clever and, you know, he knows exactly how to draw contact, and it’s all within the rules,” Kerr told reporters. “I don’t have a problem with Shai; I have a problem with the rules. So, you know, I just think that we, as a league, too much off-arm — we hardly allow the defense to do anything, you know, guarding the ball. So if you allow the offensive player to push off with the off-arm to create space, it makes it really tough defensively because you can’t put your arm in.

“If you put your arm in, everybody around the league will do what Shai does, what James Harden does. Like, they’ll hook your arm, and they’ll [flail their arms], and it’s all part of the rules. So, more power to all the individual players. But as a league, we need to adapt and adjust. The players are just, year after year, they just take advantage of the rules. They’re smart, and they know what they’re doing.”

For the fourth consecutive season, Gilgeous-Alexander is leading the NBA in made free throws, sinking 8.3 per game on 9.3 attempts. His frequent trips to the charity stripe particularly are the subject of much ire from fans around the league, but the league hasn’t done much to curtail that strategy.

The Warriors, meanwhile, typically rank towards the bottom of the NBA in free throw attempts each year. The midseason addition of Jimmy Butler provided a significant boost in the 2024-25 season, but his season-ending injury has left Golden State at just 20.7 free-throw attempts per game — the fourth-worst mark in the league.

It’s clear Kerr and the Warriors know what the issue is and how it can be fixed; after all, bringing in Butler somewhat was an attempt to join in on the trend. But without him, Golden State must find other ways to come out on top of the free-throw battle.

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