OKC Thunder cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is arguably the best player in today's NBA, but even he has an area of his game that needs improvement.
The reality of SGA's game is that he's not a great three-point shooter -- something that is rarely discussed.
Gilgeous-Alexander is not a bad three-point shooter, as he is shooting 35.5 percent from beyond the arc for his entire career.
However, despite averaging 33.2 points per outing across 11 games played so far in the 2025-26 campaign, the 27-year-old is shooting just 34.8 percent from deep.
Last season, SGA shot 37.5 percent on his three-point attempts. He won the MVP, and it seemed as if SGA had taken a big step forward as a long-range shooter.
Aside from shooting 41.8 percent across 35 total games played in 2020-21, SGA's 37.5 mark was the highest percentage of his career.
It may be a limited sample size, but Gilgeous-Alexander's early three-point shooting results may be cause for concern in 2025-26.
He's willing to let it fly from deep, as his 6.0 attempts from three-point land would be a career-high. Shai is a great player regardless, but featuring a reliable three-point shot would give his game a necessary element of added versatility.
Why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could use a reliable three-point shot
There have been plenty of superstars in the NBA who either did not shoot three-balls at all or were not especially efficient from deep. In today's game, however, it is especially important to have a reliable long-range shot as a superstar guard with scoring prowess.
Otherwise, defenses can focus on limiting a player within the three-point line -- a task that is already difficult against the Thunder star.
Stephen Curry obviously wouldn't be the Stephen Curry we know today without his elite three-point shot. Luka Doncic is not incredibly efficient from deep, but he's made defenses worry about his long-range shot for years by averaging 8.8 long-range attempts per game, and is still shooting around 35 percent.
Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jalen Brunson are other examples of superstars who consistently make defenses pay from beyond the arc.
One may argue that SGA is a talented enough finisher and mid-range scorer, which excuses his three-point shooting ups and downs.
It's a fair claim, and Gilgeous-Alexander is certainly a star whether he shoots 34 percent or 37 percent from deep.
Implementing the three-point shot more consistently and finding greater efficiency could take SGA's game to the next level.
At the moment, he's arguably the best player in the NBA.
Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum (when healthy) are all in the conversation as well.
The Thunder guard could take the next step and become the unquestioned greatest player in today's game by becoming a stronger three-point shooter, or at least taking more attempts per game to give defenses something extra to worry about.