Former Thunder Player Dishes on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Always Adding to His Game
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammates knew he would be special after the first offseason spent together.
As the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, Oklahoma City has received much more media attention this season than in years past. The team has played on national television a handful of teams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in contention for the MVP, Chet Holmgren for Rookie of the Year, and Mark Daigneault is the odds-on favorite to win Coach of the Year. People know this team and its stars.
It didn’t always use to be like that though. Gilgeous-Alexander was putting up stats on a rebuilding team while nobody paid attention. The back-to-back lottery seasons were great for development, but nobody knew just how good this team could be — and Gilgeous-Alexander in particular.
His teammates saw him every day in practice and the potential was clear. Darius Bazley, who was with the Thunder through the rebuild, knew he would be special.
“My rookie year, his second year, it was like you have Chris Paul, you got Dennis Schroder — which you could argue that was one of his best years in the NBA,” Bazley said. “You got all these different guys, and nobody was expecting us to win. We started figuring it out. But Shai was like a big part to it, and when I had conversations with him you could tell he wanted more.
“There’s some guys I’ve been around, coming into their second year or third year, thinking I just have to play good. Shai was beyond ‘I just gotta play well so I can get a second contract,’ he was on some like ‘I want the ball more.’ The next year when he came back, you could just tell he kept adding to his game.”
Gilgeous-Alexander helped lead the Thunder to the playoffs in his second year with the franchise, and from there, his career took off. He committed to getting better every single season and he turned himself into an MVP candidate.
Bazley had a front row seat to his ascension, too, as he was with the Thunder from 2019-2023.
“My rookie year, his second year, his floater game was crazy,” Bazley said. “I don’t think think I’ve ever seen him miss a floater. Then the year after that, that’s when he added the midrange. But not to the point that he’s at now. The year after that, it was more polished, he had turnaround and his three ball started getting better. Over time you just knew he was tough.”
Everything Bazley said was truthful, as Gilgeous-Alexander has added something new every year — whether it be midrange, defense, or 3-point shooting. The sky is the limit for what he does throughout his career.
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