OKC Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was made for the postseason
Gilgeous-Alexander rapid rise and embracing OKC Thunder leadership role
There will be many more opportunities for Gilgeous-Alexander when it comes to contending for individual achievements. As the OKC Thunder retool their roster with the future in mind, one veritable certainty is SGA is primed to be a playoff star.
Prior to his injury this season, the young guard showcased massive growth as he seized more responsibility and a leadership role.
| Season | G | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 82 | 26.5 | 4.2 | 8.7 | .476 | 0.6 | 1.7 | .367 | .512 | 2.4 | .800 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 10.8 |
| 2019-20 | 70 | 34.7 | 6.8 | 14.5 | .471 | 1.2 | 3.6 | .347 | .514 | 5.1 | .807 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 19.0 |
| 2020-21 | 35 | 33.7 | 8.2 | 16.1 | .508 | 2.0 | 4.9 | .418 | .571 | 6.5 | .808 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 23.7 |
| Career | 187 | 30.9 | 5.9 | 12.3 | .482 | 1.1 | 3.0 | .373 | .527 | 4.2 | .805 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 16.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/15/2021.
Although SGA led the OKC Thunder in scoring last season he was surrounded by other talents who were relied upon in clutch time or to deliver specific tasks. This season, his 23.7 points were tops on the club as were his 5.9 assists per game.
The biggest shift was four of the top five players he shared the court with during 2019-20 were traded. As the primary star of the team, that meant opponents were specifically game planning to stop him. That he increased his points and assists despite this fact was unexpected.
Perhaps the more impressive part of his growth was his consistency which also recognized improvements across all three areas of the court.
As a comparison, Pascal Siakam became the primary option for the Raptors when Kawhi Leonard left in the offseason of 2019-20. In his first year in the lead role, he witnessed increases in points, assists, and rebounds. However, his efficiency took a hit, falling off in the two main areas of field goal and perimeter percentage.
| Season | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | ORB | TRB | AST | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 55 | 15.6 | 3.7 | .502 | 0.1 | .143 | 3.6 | .515 | .505 | 0.6 | .688 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 4.2 |
| 2017-18 | 81 | 20.7 | 6.1 | .508 | 1.6 | .220 | 4.5 | .612 | .537 | 1.1 | .621 | 1.0 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 7.3 |
| 2018-19 | 80 | 31.9 | 11.8 | .549 | 2.7 | .369 | 9.1 | .602 | .591 | 3.8 | .785 | 1.6 | 6.9 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 16.9 |
| 2019-20 | 60 | 35.2 | 18.4 | .453 | 6.1 | .359 | 12.3 | .499 | .512 | 5.1 | .792 | 1.1 | 7.3 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 22.9 |
| 2020-21 | 56 | 35.8 | 17.2 | .455 | 4.4 | .297 | 12.8 | .509 | .493 | 5.4 | .827 | 1.7 | 7.2 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 21.4 |
| Career | 332 | 27.7 | 11.2 | .488 | 2.9 | .325 | 8.3 | .545 | .530 | 3.1 | .782 | 1.3 | 5.8 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 14.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/15/2021.
Like Gilgeous-Alexander, Siakam’s growth was unparalleled but being the primary scoring option wasn’t as easy of a transition. This season the power forward got COVID-19 just as he began to hit his stride and never fully recovered. Nor will he have the offseason to make improvements recently undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
While Siakam did recognize an uptick in some areas in his second year as the primary scoring focus the efficiency still hasn’t returned to the quality of the Raptors title year. And, when you consider the Thunder didn’t have the depth of talent the Raptors did this year (OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, etc) it puts into perspective just how impressive SGA’s production and efficiency were.