Cohesiveness Leads to Success for OKC, Lessens Burden on SGA

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been a one-man wrecking crew up to this point in the season, but on Friday reinforcements arrived with a powerful punch to the Raptors.

All of the Thunder success prior to Friday night could be summarized in one name.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

On Friday though the rest of the Thunder, finally, clicked. SGA posted his second lowest point total of the season, 20, yet OKC still grabbed a 19-point win over Toronto.

Prior to Friday Gilgeous-Alexander was the only clicking part of the OKC offense night in and night out. However, against the Raptors everyone who checked in found a way to contribute.

Eight of the 10 Thunder players who checked into the game logged double-digit points all while an unlikely player had the best offensive night. Eugene Omoruyi, one of the two Two-Way contracts Oklahoma City has signed, scored 22 and led the way for both teams.

Along with his season high point total, Aaron Wiggins also notched his season high in points with 17 in his first start of the year.

Rookie Jalen Williams was a key cog off the bench for OKC as he showcased his passing ability to the tune of 11 assists and his first career double-double.

His 11 assists were a chunk of the team’s 31 total assists which paints the picture of how the Thunder were able to down the Raptors, and stop a four-game skid.

The team played tough, cohesive basketball on Friday and lifted a heavy burden off of the shoulders of Gilgeous-Alexander.

In order for the Thunder to win games, the team will have to find a way to string together consistent cohesive performance like Friday’s. If they can do that, OKC could find themselves climbing the standings instead of dwelling at the bottom. 

---

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.