3 Takeaways on OKC Thunder’s tough loss vs Pelicans
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needs to be more potent.
Touted as one of the MVP candidates this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 20 points in the ball game versus New Orleans. However, it came through 20 shot attempts.
For Gilgeous-Alexander’s standards, that was an awful game. It did not help that he hyperextended his knee in the second half and heavily favored it in the rest of the game.
Mark Daigneault said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander might’ve hyperextended his knee but he was fine they wouldn’t have put him back in if he wasn’t fine. Olivier Sarr got hit in a “very sensitive area” on the play where he got up slow he is fine as well.
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) November 2, 2023
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on his hyperextended knee “feels alright”
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) November 2, 2023
His shot selection was suspect. He took rushed shots or jumpers that were too challenging for his own good. He made zero threes on five tries throughout the matchup.
OKC has been better with players moving around, cutting into open spaces, and keeping the defense guessing throughout the entire possession. In this game, the Thunder’s offense was predictable and looked for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to create something out of nothing more often than not. However, when they eventually reverted back to their style of play they made their runs.
It is also partly because some plays did not put Gilgeous-Alexander in an optimal position to score—specifically in the final possession when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had to shoot a tough step-back three that could have given the OKC Thunder the lead. Also, some of it is because of the brilliance of Herb Jones.