Breaking the Third Level: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Perimeter Struggles and Recent Free Throw Prominence
When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander took reins of the Thunder last season, high expectations clouded the then third-year guard. With Chris Paul in Phoenix and Dennis Schroder in Hollywood – SGA became the inevitable top option, both as a playmaker, and as a scorer.
He set the bar at a whole new level.
In Gilgeous-Alexander’s third season of play, the then 22-year-old lit up the stat sheet logging 23.7 points, 4,7 rebounds and 5.9 assists across 35 games. Needless to say, the former Wildcat tallied All-Star-level numbers – but his biggest breakthrough came from beyond the arch.
In his breakout campaign, the guard’s perimeter play elevated to a new level, downing 41.8 percent of threes across 4.9 attempts per contest. As an added kick to his production, he took his on-ball abilities to a new level, creating three-pointers off of stepbacks at will.
As of recent, Gilgeous-Alexander’s go-to from deep has hit a standstill. However, a budding presence at the free throw line has kept the guard as a consistent force, even elevating his play to new heights.
This season, the face of the franchise has notched averages of 21.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. From deep, his production has taken a tumble, slipping to a 29.7-percent clip on 6.6 attempts per game, 1.7 more tries than last season.
But, what’s to blame for the 23-year-old’s season-long slump?
For one, Gilgeous-Alexander’s slashing attempts have, in a literal stance, been slashed. With the addition of No. 6 pick Josh Giddey, SGA has taken a hit in the driving department, falling from a league-high 25.2 drives per game to 23.7 drives per night, still leading the league in the category.
In addition to his penetration-pinch, the Thunder’s three-point flop thus far has taken a hit on SGA’s production. Last season, SGA’s slashing ability produced a bevy of catch-and-shoot conversions as the team shot 33.9 percent from distance. This season, the group has been in freefall, posting a league-low 30.9 percent on threes.
As a result, teams have opted to stagnate SGA’s slashes by packing the paint, simultaneously forcing Gilgeous-Alexander to earn his shots from downtown. The triples have oftentimes come with little room for thought, as in the final four seconds of shot clock he has launched an average of 1.4 threes per contest, finding the bottom on 13.3 percent of attempts.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s three-point plateau has persisted throughout the season, holding the 23-year-old to a feeble 20.0 percent output on 5.0 attempts in the previous five games. However, in SGA’s latest shooting slump, he’s found sanctuary at the foul line – transfiguring his game to a new height.
In SGA’s latest five-game stint, the guard has centralized at the charity stripe, whistling his way to 10.2 foul shots per game, cashing in on 8.6 tries per contest. Across his tenure, the 23-year-old has placed his two-largest free throw performances, attempting a career-high 16 foul shots versus the Rockets, following his play with 15 attempts on his very next game. As a collective, three of his past five competitions have seen the guard notch a dozen or more tries.
The reason for such success – his continuous effort on drives.
Across SGA’s previous five contests, he’s taken his drives to astronomical levels, driving inside on an average 29.2 times per game while gunning off 11,2 shot attempts inside eight feet. For reference, that palate accounts for over 58 percent of his span’s shot chart – teeing off 8.4 shots elsewhere in the stretch.
SGA’s uber-aggressive play around the basket has netted the guard a full-course meal of interior baskets as of late, but it’s also forced officiating crews to take the 23-year-old to the line. Through his last five games, SGA has tallied one of his patches of the season, recording averages of 26.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, even bolstering in the passing game en route to 7.4 assists.
Given that Gilgeous-Alexander’s time at the stripe has hit elite levels, it begs the question: what stat line would SGA strike if he coupled his free throw play alongside a hot-handed three-point performance?
The answer – there truly isn’t a limit. With a lethal stepback possible of orchestrating a one-man offense and interior-magnetism capable of adding on 10-plus points any given evening, shattering his career-high of 42 points may not be so far off in the distance.
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