Isaiah Joe says 1 aspect of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's game is 'through the roof'

Thursday night, the OKC Thunder capped off their preseason play with a 104-99 win over the Atlanta Hawks. As a result, the ball club heads into the upcoming regular season fresh off a 4-1 record and on a commanding three-game win streak as they gear up for what is anticipated to be a prosperous, title-hopeful run.

While Oklahoma City's top-notch championship odds for 2024-25 are largely influenced by their elite depth, reigning MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is without question the biggest reason for their lofty league-wide status.

Already an established superstar at the prime, young age of 26 years old, the guard has quickly turned himself into one of the game's top two-way talents and is the clear leader of this Thunder squad that is coming off a historic top-seeded finish to the 2023-24 campaign.

Now, heading into year seven, expectations for both him and the organization are seemingly at an all-time high, as there are many who believe this team is out of excuses as they look to claim the illustrious Larry O'Brien Trophy.

While some players may be crushed under these kinds of heavy pressures, Thunder guard Isaiah Joe recently revealed that Gilgeous-Alexander is showing his true mettle even during these early pre-stages of the season.

Isaiah Joe praises Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's confidence

Though SGA may not have put forth the most eye-popping stat line during Thursday's finale, as he posted 6 points, 4 boards, 1 assist, 3 steals, and a block in 20 minutes played, his shooting stroke and overall efficiency still seemed to project at a high-end level, as he cashed in on 50.0 percent of his attempts from the floor and 66.7 percent from deep.

This level of shooting has been a constant theme throughout the preseason, as he wrapped with a 61.9 percent overall shooting clip as well as a stellar 63.6 percent clip from distance.

Asked whether he thought this uptick in production was possibly due to a shift in shooting mechanics, Isaiah Joe responded by saying that it's the Thunder star's confidence that's made all the difference.

"His confidence, I think, is through the roof right now and I think that will help him going into the regular season. He's shooting the ball very well in the preseason, it's looking good. Hopefully he can keep it rolling," Joe said of Gilgeous-Alexander.

For his career, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander boasts a long-range shooting percentage of just 34.9 percent and has shot above 36 percent only twice along the way. Though far from a liability from beyond the arc a la Ben Simmons, if there ever was an area of his game that needed some refining, it would be his 3-point prowess.

Should he add a consistent perimeter jumper to his bag of tricks, there would be a strong case to be made that the Thunder star is one of the game's only unstoppable talents on the hardwood and would automatically be a frontrunning favorite to be crowned the league's Most Valuable Player.