How OKC Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has Built an All-Defense Resume

Last season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finally had the breakout season he needed to earn some of the national spotlight, being selected to his first All-Star and All-NBA teams after putting up over 30 points per game.

While his stellar offensive play helped Gilgeous-Alexander earn notoriety and his place amongst the All-NBA honorees, the former Kentucky guard's defense also took a significant step up last season.

This year, SGA has improved his play on defense once again, helping the Thunder operate as one of the best defensive teams in the league.

On Friday night against the Warriors, Gilgeous-Alexander recorded a whopping five steals, adding one block on none other than Stephen Curry. Last time Oklahoma City and Golden State squared off, Gilgeous-Alexander also rejected one of Curry's shots.

20 games into the 2023-24 season, Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA in steals with 2.8 per contest. For comparison, OG Anunoby led the league in steals per game last year with 1.9 per contest.

Additionally, SGA has total 55 steals this season, 17 more than Jalen Suggs and Scottie Barnes, who are tied for second-most in the NBA.

According to The Lead, Gilgeous-Alexander has also held opponents to the second-lowest field goal percentage in the league while leading the NBA in deflections per game, loose balls recovered per game and contested 3-pointers per game.

Defensive leaders this szn:

Opponent FG%:
38.6 - NAW
40.3 - SGA
40.4 - Gobert

Total steals:
55 - SGA
38 - Suggs, Barnes

Deflections/game:
3.9 - SGA
3.5 - Jokic, Thybulle

Loose balls recovered/game:
1.6 - SGA
1.4 - Bane

Contested 3’s/game:
4.2 - SGA
3.9 - Herb Jones pic.twitter.com/T60mEFE2np
— The Lead (@TheLeadSM) December 10, 2023

Gilgeous-Alexander's impressive defense in addition to his stellar offensive play has landed the 25-year-old in the MVP race for a second consecutive season. However, after finishing fifth in the voting last season, SGA is currently in the top three of NBA.com's MVP ladder.

If the Thunder's star is able to maintain his incredible two-way performance for the entire season, Oklahoma City should be firmly in the mix for a playoff spot, as OKC is currently ranked No. 7 in the league in defensive rating.

With other skilled defenders like Lu Dort, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams flanking Gilgeous-Alexander in the starting lineup, the Thunder are on pace to have one of the most impressive young defenses in the NBA.

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