Editor’s note: As an annual end-of-season exercise, The Oklahoman publishes a series of report cards on each of the Thunder’s main roster players. Grades will be curved relative to role and expectations. Next up: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Before winning a championship, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander blushed when hearing the names of the historic company he was joining with one statistical feat after another.
Now, after winning MVP, NBA Finals MVP and bringing Oklahoma City its first championship, Gilgeous-Alexander’s place among the all-time greats is inevitable. He just had one of the best seasons we’ve ever seen from a guard. And having just turned 27, SGA is only now entering his prime.
July 30 is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Day in Oklahoma City. Mayor David Holt gave each Thunder player their own honorary day, and he rightly saved the best for last.
The seventh-year pro and sixth-year Thunder led the league in scoring at 32.7 points per game on 51.9 FG%/37.5 3FG%/89.8 FT% shooting splits. He averaged 5.0 rebounds and a career-high 6.4 assists against 2.4 turnovers per game. He combined for 2.7 steals+blocks per game, the second-highest mark of his career. And he was durable, playing a career-high 2,598 minutes. Plus 851 more in the playoffs.
Gilgeous-Alexander still trails Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in just about every category among all-time Thunder leaders, but after leading the team to a franchise-record 68 wins and capping it off with a championship, Gilgeous-Alexander cemented his status this season as the greatest Thunder player ever.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander by the numbers
32.7: Gilgeous-Alexander won the scoring title, averaging 32.7 points per game. He had four games of 50-plus, including a career-high 54 points in a January win against the Jazz. A Thunder player has won the scoring title in seven of the last 16 seasons. Kevin Durant was a four-time scoring champ. Russell Westbrook had the belt for two seasons. SGA averaged 29.9 points in the Thunder’s 23 playoff games. He was third in playoff scoring behind Giannis Antetokounmpo (33.0) and Luka Doncic (30.2) — both of whom only played in five playoff games.
131: Gilgeous-Alexander ranked second in the regular season in total steals behind Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels (229). Thunder teammates Cason Wallace (120) and Jalen Williams (111) also ranked top 10 in total steals. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA with 150 steals in 2023-24.
20.6: SGA led the league in drives per game for the fifth consecutive season. However, his 20.6 drives per game were his fewest of any season during that stretch. It was his lowest drive total since 2019-20, when he shared the Thunder backcourt with Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder.
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I don’t know where Gilgeous-Alexander has room to improve, but he tends to add something new to his game every summer. My guess is he doubles down on his 3-point shot — the one variable in SGA’s otherwise steady game.
In 2020-21, Year 1 of the Thunder’s rebuild, SGA shot 41.8% from 3-point range on 4.9 attempts per game (playing in only 35 games). The next season, he attempted 5.3 3s per game. The difficulty of those shots went up, and SGA’s percentage plummeted to 30%.
Then came an overcorrection. In 2022-23, he took 2.5 3s per game — less than half from the season prior — and shot a so-so 34.5%. In the two seasons since, there’s been an upward trend in both his attempts and accuracy.
SGA shot 35.3% on 3.6 3-point attempts per game in 2023-24. Then a career-high 5.7 3-point attempts per game this season at 37.5%, the second-best mark of his career.
Is it possible to go from unguardable to more unguardable? If so, that’s what happens when SGA is a threat from 3.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grade: A++
Being named MVP and Finals MVP is worthy of an extra plus. Only four players in the last 25 years earned the dual distinction: Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, LeBron James (twice) and now SGA. Gilgeous-Alexander is the lone guard on the list.
Thunder report card schedule
In his championship parade address, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt announced that Thunder chairman Clay Bennett, general manager Sam Presti, coach Mark Daigneault and every Thunder player would be honored with their own official day in Oklahoma City.
We’re following Holt’s schedule, publishing each player’s report card on their respective day.
- July 11: Ousmane Dieng
- July 15: Ajay Mitchell
- July 16: Jaylin Williams
- July 17: Kenrich Williams
- July 18: Isaiah Joe
- July 21: Aaron Wiggins
- July 22: Cason Wallace
- July 23: Isaiah Hartenstein
- July 24: Alex Caruso
- July 25: Lu Dort
- July 28: Chet Holmgren
- July 29: Jalen Williams
- July 30: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Joe Mussatto is a sports columnist for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Joe? Email him at jmussatto@oklahoman.com. Support Joe’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander report card: Thunder guard set gold standard
