OKC Thunder: 3 biggest surprises through first half

OKC Thunder first-half surprise No. 3:  SGA is following in mentor’s footsteps as top-tier leader

As the OKC Thunder began this season the spotlight was firmly on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Pundits enthused about the youngster’s game but cautioned this OKC Thunder team would be hardpressed to win many games.

Others noted the increased attention SGA would face given the exit of four-fifths of the Clutch Time Killer lineup this offseason.

What few projected was how completely Gilgeous-Alexander would embrace the role of leader and how easily he would transition into being the alpha for the club.

It’s not simply that he’s producing in this role but how efficiently he’s doing it. As much as Thunder Nation is thrilled by how competitive this young team has been the reality is SGA is the only player who can be relied on consistently as an offensive threat.

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And yet, despite the fact opponents know he is the straw that stirs the Thunder offense — they can’t stop him.  Sure, he’s improved but what was once an almost unstoppable driving and change of pace ability is now virtually unstoppable. Why? Part of the reason is his improvement from the perimeter.

Teams can no longer sag off Shai expecting him to shoot poorly from deep. Last season SGA was surrounded by talents like Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, and Dennis Schroder.  While he led the team in scoring his 3-point efficiency dipped from 36.7 percent to 34.7 percent.

This year with a group of youngsters who’ve yet to make their mark he’s shooting a blistering 41.2 percent from deep!

Most impressive is how he leads this young squad and the way they compete. As Intentions noted in our recent article (see above) that young starting lineup is winning at a better clip than many of the elite teams and doing it on second games of back-to-back sets. Their belief in themselves all starts with their leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Chris Paul may be noted as the best leader in the NBA, but SGA absorbed every lesson the Point God taught him and is applying it. Moving forward, it’s very comforting to know the Thunder have a young leader of SGA’s ilk to lead this franchise back into relevance among the NBA elite.