OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is currently having one of the best individual three-point shooting seasons of his NBA career. However, Oklahoma City has endured ups and downs overall when it comes to shooting the long-range shot.
SGA is a leader on the team, and perhaps he can help them find their rhythm from deep.
Gilgeous-Alexander had endured inconsistency of his own from beyond the arc in past seasons. The 27-year-old has clearly figured something out here in year eight, as he is shooting 41.2 percent from three-point land across 18 games played.
He is also attempting 5.4 three-point attempts per outing, which would be the second-highest mark of his career if the season ended today.
Yet, Oklahoma City has been unable to consistently find the bottom of the net with the three-ball as a whole.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the only real plus in negative Thunder shooting
OKC features a 119.3 offensive rating, which is good for fourth in the NBA. The Thunder's 60.6 true shooting percentage is fifth in the league.
With all of that being said, they are still just 17th overall in three-point shooting percentage with a mark of 36.1. There is reason for hope, however.
OKC's 14.1 three-point makes per game ranks ninth in the NBA. The Thunder are also 11th with 38.9 three-point attempts per contest.
Clearly, the team is willing to shoot the three-ball, and they have found some level of success. It has just come on a rather inconsistent basis.
However, all in all, is the Thunder's three-point efficiency overly concerning? Should fans really be worried about it?
After all, despite sitting 17th in the league in three-point shooting percentage, Oklahoma City still holds the NBA's best record at 17-1.
During their 2024-25 NBA championship run, the Thunder turned in a 37.4 three-point shooting percentage. They remained within the top 10 in makes and attempts from behind the three-point line as well.
The Thunder featured an especially versatile offensive attack, and their long-range scoring played a pivotal role in their championship run.
OKC's three-point percentage trend does leave some room for concern. If they cannot consistently score from deep in the postseason, an upset could sadly wind up coming to fruition.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shooting the lights out from deep, however, the Thunder should be fine. He leads the way, and his teammates often follow in his footsteps.
As a result, it would not be surprising to see Chet Holmgren and the rest of his teammates begin to take steps forward from beyond the arc as the campaign progresses.