'My Whole Life Has Been Consistent': Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Nears Thunder Record
On Friday, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put together his 47th 30-point performance of the season. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar scored 37 points, adding five rebounds and six assists, as he tied Kevin Durant's single-season record of 30-point contests in a season.
Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Thunder to a 44-19 record behind his 31.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game. He's been incredibly consistent, which can be seen in the consistent 30-point outings.
How has Gilgeous-Alexander been able to tie the franchise record of 30-point contests -- which he seems primed to soon break? Consistency. And he explained such a thing after the game.
“My whole life is consistent,” he said in his on-court interview postgame. “Everything I do. From what I eat, to when I sleep, to my recovery, to my loved ones. Everything’s consistent. It’s a routine for me at this point.”
As the franchise's superstar, Gilgeous-Alexander's consistency has set the standard for the Thunder as a team. While it sure looks good for his statistical averages, it's better when showing in the team's Western Conference-leading 44 wins.
As a team, the Thunder plays a consistent brand of basketball. The team-oriented play has remained consistent as the Thunder seems a team primed for postseason basketball, and they're going to be able to take a stab at a deep playoff run for the first time in the new era.
Still, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault hasn't quite started playoff talk, as he's more so focused on right now and what the team can do to continue playing basketball deeper in April.
“I haven’t used the ‘P word,’” Daigneault said after the game. “More focused on continuing improving here through the last quarter of the season. Not right now. Not on March 8th.”
Remaining consistent -- taking care of defeating lesser opponents and playing other contending teams well -- will be the key to the Thunder continuing to look like a quality postseason team as the regular season winds down.
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