Oklahoma City Again Ahead of Schedule With Gilgeous-Alexander
The Oklahoma City Thunder are prepared to surprise once again.
A little over 10 percent through the NBA season, the Thunder sit at 3-6 and are the winners of two straight.
Projected at the start of the season to have the second-worst record in the league, the Thunder sit seven teams from the bottom, largely due to the play of their budding star.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is back in the fold and healthy after missing the majority of last season with a foot injury. But even in limited action a year ago, Gilgeous-Alexander did his part to keep Oklahoma City closer to the hunt for a play-in game spot to the playoffs than the top of the NBA Draft Lottery.
With their leader in tow, the Thunder were 16-19 last year, once again outperforming their preseason expectations.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s play without many pieces around him was encouraging enough that OKC general manager Sam Presti pulled the trigger on a five-year, $172 million maximum contract extension for the former Kentucky guard, locking him in as the centerpiece of Oklahoma City’s project for years to come.
And after a slow start in the first couple of games this year, Gilgeous-Alexander appears to have shaken off the rust and is back to tormenting opposing defenses. The young Thunder leader is averaging 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game, and is showing time and time again that he has the ability to take over games.
Massive third quarter efforts from Gilgeous-Alexander have propelled OKC to two of their three wins, all coming over the past five games.
The developmental steps Gilgeous-Alexander took last year appear to be more than one season aberrations, as he continues to lead the league in drives to the bucket as well as shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the 3-point line, a combo that has proved to be hard to stop.
It’s hard to see Gilgeous-Alexander slowing down this season when healthy, as he continues to learn and grow while the other NBA teams attack him different ways defensively.
Unlike last year, however, Gilgeous-Alexander has a running mate who will be in OKC for the duration this season.
In somewhat of a surprise, Presti passed over Jonathan Kuminga in favor of selecting Australian jumbo guard Josh Giddey with the No. 6-overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. And thus far, Giddey appears to be proving Presti right.
Giddey’s passing dazzled scouts in the draft process, a skill which has translated nicely to the NBA despite a position change from point guard to an off-ball role in support of Gilgeous-Alexander in OKC.
The talented rookie is averaging 5.9 assists per game nine contests into his first season in the NBA, and appears to be a player who could flirt with a triple-double or two this year.
Giddey is already the second-youngest player to record 10 assists or more in a game, trailing only LeBron James in that section of the NBA record books.
The Australian is also adding 10.1 points per game to go with his ability to distribute the basketball, and has shown an already mature shot selection which has allowed him to shoot 40.4 percent from the field this year.
While he’s not as seasoned as George Hill or Al Horford, Gilgeous-Alexander’s veteran running mates at the start of last season, Giddey will stick around OKC to continue to improve. Most importantly, Giddey isn’t trying to show out to earn a trade to a contender like Hill and Horford, and he won’t get shut down to preserve his legs for his next stop.
As Giddey finds his way in the NBA, he’s playing to win and he’s trying to build a future in Oklahoma City, something Gilgeous-Alexander has yet to have playing alongside him in his Thunder career.
Pair that with the defensive prowess of Lu Dort and the bench contributions from Kenrich Williams and Ty Jerome, and the Thunder have the makings of a nice little core that can win games this season.
Not reflected in OKC’s current 3-6 record is difficult path the Thunder have already had to tread.
Oklahoma City has carded losses to the Utah Jazz, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Clippers and twice to the Golden State Warriors, all teams who not only have playoff aspirations but dreams of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy at the conclusion of this season.
Outside of those contests, the Thunder are 3-1 with a pair of wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and a victory over the San Antonio Spurs, while dropping their contest against the also rebuilding Houston Rockets.
Sporting the youngest roster in the NBA, Oklahoma City’s performances will vary greatly as the squad fights through the struggles of youthful inconsistencies.
But the Thunder are already proving again to be better than the cellar of the NBA, in large part due to the budding talent of Gilgeous-Alexander.
