After earning four straight All-NBA First Team nods, winning two straight MVPs, and spearheading the charge for an OKC Thunder championship, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander frighteningly made it a point to try to get even better this summer.
He did so by working on his off-ball game, something that, if mastered, would make the superstar even "tougher to guard" than he's already proven to be.
This preseason, SGA has flashed early signs that his offseason work has paid off, as he's cashed in on three catch-and-shoot long-range attempts in just 18 total minutes played, a major boost from his averages of less than one per game over the last two seasons.
The promise is clearly already starting to surface. Now, it's up to the Thunder to properly capitalize on this exciting new development, and the best way for them to do so may be to lean more into their emphasis on fastbreaks.
Thunder must pick up the pace out on the break
Throughout their rise to dynasty-pushing status, the Thunder have become famous for using their slow approach to the game to their advantage.
Last season, they placed a middling 16 in pace of play and, unsurprisingly, ranked 21 in fastbreak points scored.
Now, with Gilgeous-Alexander emphasizing off-ball offense, the Thunder may want to rethink their approach to on-court speed.
Jared McCain recently highlighted during a post-practice media session that SGA's usual style of play generally has him pulling defensive assignments from the best players and, oftentimes, is met with immense on-ball pressure all the way up the floor when tasked with bringing the rock up.
As McCain revealed, "he's getting tired" as soon as he passes half-court. This seems to be a leading reason why the club is slightly shifting its focus to SGA's usage and allowing others to bring the ball up, relieving pressure that's regularly on their franchise cornerstone.
This should certainly give Gilgeous-Alexander more breathing room on the offensive end and allow him to navigate through an opposing team's defense more seamlessly.
Of course, having the Thunder pick up the pace and see one of his four other teammates run up the floor with the ball would only make this game plan even more effective.
The faster the ball is heading up the floor, the faster opposing players will shift their focus to the handler, which, in turn, takes eyes off Gilgeous-Alexander and allows him to position himself for a clean scoring look off the catch.
As we've seen this preseason, such a tempo may already be in the early stages of development, as the Thunder currently rank second in pace of play and seventh in fastbreak points scored.
Gilgeous-Alexander has also personally been seen benefiting from this new offensive philosophy. The hope now is that it can continue into the regular season and fully unlock SGA's exciting new on-court development.
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