Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently in the middle of the best three-point shooting season of his career. Despite the overall ups and downs the OKC Thunder have faced out on the perimeter, SGA is finding the bottom of the net at a 40.4 percent rate from beyond the arc.
There is one specific reason that seems to be a driving force behind the superstar's three-point success.
Thunder star lighting it up from the corner this season
After winning the NBA Finals a season ago, the Thunder have once again proven to be the best team in the NBA this year. It appears they can compete for a championship once again during the 2025-26 campaign, especially with Gilgeous-Alexander's long-range improvement.
The corner three has been a game-changer for SGA. It may seem simple, but the underlying statistics tell the story of how the shot is drastically helping Shai improve his efficiency.
At times, he's almost looked like a different player from a three-point shooting standpoint.
According to Basketball Reference, Gilgeous-Alexander is taking the most corner three-point attempts since his rookie season from a percentage standpoint.
The result: Gilgeous-Alexander is connecting on an incredible 50 percent of his attempts from the corner.
The superstar's current 41.2 overall three-point shooting percentage would technically be the second-best mark of his career. He shot 41.8 percent back in 2020-21, but the Thunder star only played in 35 games that year.
Will SGA be able to shoot over 40.0 percent from deep all season long? Only time will tell, but even shooting 38.0 percent or better from deep would still be the second-best mark of his career.
Overall, he's shot a respectable -- albeit far from spectacular -- 35.8 percent from three-point land throughout his time in the NBA.
There wasn't much Shai needed to improve in his game, given his status as the reigning MVP, but it appears that Gilgeous-Alexander has worked especially hard on shooting the three-ball.
Now, he is becoming one of the most reliable options from deep on the Thunder. If he is truly becoming an elite three-point shooter, a player who already featured MVP-level talent will become even more dangerous -- a frightening thought for all opposing teams.
Teams will surely make the adjustment and look to make shooting the corner three more difficult for SGA. Perhaps the Thunder can find a way to continue helping him receive quality looks from the corner, however.
If Oklahoma City can accomplish that feat, SGA should be able to continue to find success from deep.