Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the most gifted and efficient scoring weapons the NBA has ever seen. On top of being in the running for yet another scoring title heading into 2026-27, the OKC Thunder star is also being pegged as a top-10 shooter in the game today, ranking exactly 10 according to the folks at Bleacher Report.
Now, while this level of recognition is certainly impressive and well-deserved after registering a career-best effective field-goal percentage of 59.7 percent, come year's end, this placement could easily look a tad too low for SGA.
One of the main areas of his game that he worked hard to improve this summer was his off-ball offense. Honing his skills in this department should help him preserve the energy and stamina he's prone to losing when tasked not only with constantly bringing up the ball but also with serving as the number-one scoring weapon.
As Thunder guard Jared McCain correctly put it, Shai's shift toward off-ball sets should add "quickness" to his game and allow plays to develop much faster and more smoothly "for him in the half court."
Both factors should lead to fewer contested shots for the Thunder cornerstone, which would be a breath of fresh air, given that more than half of his shot attempts last season came against tight-to-very tight coverage.
Thunder star already showing flashes of improved shooting efficiency
Already, this adjustment to his approach in play has done wonders for his efficiency, as he's currently shooting a ridiculous 90.9 percent from the floor and a perfect 100.0 percent from beyond the arc in preseason play.
On top of these flashes of improved efficiency, Gilgeous-Alexander has gone on record this offseason, noting that while he may have a stacked career resume as is, what with his four All-NBA First-team nods, two consecutive MVP awards, and an NBA Championship, there are still many more accolades he is looking to claim.
One of the biggest accomplishments he's gunning for is an entry into the illustrious 50-40-90 club.
The Thunder cornerstone has flirted with such a stat line on multiple occasions throughout his career, with his closest campaign coming during his second season in OKC, where he shot 50.8 percent from the floor and a career-best 41.8 percent from deep, though he fell short of entry by shooting 80.8 percent from the charity stripe.
Hopefully, this preseason momentum and personal drive can carry over into this coming regular season, for if they do, we could very realistically look back on his No. 10 rank in the best shooters conversation as wildly low.
Add us as a preferred source on Google