Drawing fouls was supposed to be a settled science. But in recent years, NBA fans have thrown out the ‘free-throw merchant’ label for certain players who frequently arrive at the line. In 2025, the tag followed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, although Luka Doncic came very close. James Harden has been the usual suspect in this category for years. In comes a plot twist the NBA Twitterverse was not prepared for.

2026 began with an interesting NBA list of the “Free Throws Attempt Leaders” so far. Overturning all expectations, the No. 1 foul drawer is Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija. A very interesting position to be in on his 25th birthday (on January 3) five years into his NBA career.

He not only surpasses SGA and Doncic, who are in his age bracket, but also James Harden, who has a decade and ten seasons over him. The gap isn’t small either.

The Israel-born Portland star has 353 free throws in his entire NBA career count. That’s over 50 more than Shai (305) and Doncic (302). The Beard has 274 in his career, probably a number the Internet thought would be a lot higher.

On the day of his birthday, Avdija led the Blazers to a surprising 115-110 win over the Spurs. He secured a triple-double on the way with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. He was 9-of-23 from the field, 3-of-6 from the 3-point line and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line.

Fans are shocked that his free throws went unnoticed. They were also surprised that many names were missing from the list. But no one knew that Avdija was getting the whistle that many times. It took a little digging for a few to figure out why.

Fans defend the ‘free throw merchants’

The first thought when NBA fans saw this list was, “We all know that SGA, Luka, and Harden are generational free throw merchants but wow did anyone expect Avdija to be at the top of this list?!”

Of course, no one knew the silent foul-drawer was in Portland till they saw, “Deni the biggest FT merchant now???” But why does it matter? A fan duly pointed out why James Harden, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic receive criticism for their free throws.

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“Figured out why y’all hate Luka Shai & Brunson getting free throws: People see drawing fouls as a ‘bail out’ and not a skill. That (misconception) is triggering them and they’re being reminded of how, most unfair outcomes in real life never get ‘corrected’ like this.”

By corrected, it means this list shows free throws attempted. In terms of free throws made, it is Luka Doncic who is no.1 on the list in the 2025-26 season. SGA is second, while Avdija is actually in the third place.

What this list does show is that Deni Avdija has a very enviable skill. With a league-leading 1,272 minutes already under his belt, Deni Avdija has essentially been Portland’s offensive engine, but that usage comes with a cost: his 139 turnovers are the most in the NBA, and his 23.6 percent free-throw rate underscores just how often he’s living in the paint and absorbing contact.

“People don’t realise he leads the league in drives per game ofc he’s gonna have a lot of FTs.” He averages 20 drivers per game, the highest in the league.

There are more technicalities, like “Deni has yet to miss a game, Luka is leading in FTA per game,” and “Pretty wild, but I think it should be noted that Shai hasn’t played in the 4th quarter for a lot of the games…”

But it’s also undeniable that Avdija is one of the most relentless interior forces in the league. “Seeing Deni at the top says a lot about how much more aggressive he’s been getting to the rim this year.”

It does prove that the statistical landscape is skewed. Baiting or not, there’s a greater advantage at Luka and Shai making it to the line more than Deni.