3 things we learned during the OKC Thunder postseason run

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved all season and in the postseason that he is a star for the OKC Thunder.

After question marks surrounded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander coming into the year on if he could be a franchise guy, would he be an All-Star, and so on,  SGA answered every question and then some.

Averaging over 30 points a game to go along with nearly five rebounds, five assists, nearly two steals, and a block per game. All while shooting 51 percent from the floor, 34 percent from deep, and getting to the line 11 times a game while stroking it at a 90 percent clip from the charity stripe.

Perhaps the most significant moment for this Oklahoma City Thunder team was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, after being frustrated in the first half, only scoring seven points on ten shots. It looked as though, for the fifth game this season, Herb Jones once again flustered Gilgeous-Alexander.

While no one has been able to stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander this season, Herb Jones has done the best job of making life hard on SGA as far as one-on-one defenders go.

In that moment, down six points at the break, the max contract point guard could have pressed the issue. Tried to prove to the world he could get the best of Jones and continue to lead this team. That is often what stars do, which usually worsens the issue.

Instead, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stayed within himself and played his role inside Mark Daigneault’s offense. It resulted in him trusting his teammates and going on a second-half serge himself.

SGA posted 25 second-half points, two rebounds, an assist, and a block while taking and making all eight of his free throws in that half and shooting 66 percent from the floor in 21 minutes.

This allowed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to total 32 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block while shooting 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from beyond the arc, and 100 percent at the line.

He was once again the catalyst for a Thunder win, surviving on the road in the postseason, 123-118.

Of course, as an honorable mention, a hat-tip to Lu Dort’s incredible postseason run after a rocky regular season on the offensive end. What lessons did you learn this postseason? Drop your answers below!