SGA’s Helpers: OKC Offense Providing Crucial Help to Thunder Star
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander needed some help on offense.
When the season started, SGA began on a tear that continues to the present, but one key component has changed.
He has a host of helpers that had started the season struggling.
Lu Dort and Josh Giddey took a couple of weeks into the season to find their offensive groove. While the rest of the Thunder’s young roster also fell into a groove eventually, but all at separate times.
Now 23 games into the season the Thunder have a host of contributing players while the face of the franchise remains the head of the table.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.1 points per game thus far this season. He’s near the top of the league in that category and well on his way to his first All-Star selection.
The rest of the team is beginning to provide cushion for the offensive output. The next two highest scorers are Dort and Giddey who are both between 14 to 15 points per game.
The fourth and final Thunder player averaging double figures in scoring is rookie Jalen Williams who is fresh off earning the NBA's Rookie of the Month honors for October and November. He’s tallying 10.7 points per game.
A host of other Thunder players are also becoming key contributors and pulling their weight including Jeremiah Robison-Earl and Aleksej Pokusevski.
Oklahoma City continues to win and compete in games through offense, an offense that has climbed to sixth in the NBA with 116.8 points per game.
The Thunder are also producing the most shot attempts per game in the league with 94.7 field goal attempts per game. However, with that still comes room for improvement as the Thunder come in 20th in field goal percentage.
SGA and Williams are major contributors holding up the field goal percentage shooting 50.9% and 52.9% respectively. However, others, including Dort and Giddey, are lower on the list in shooting percentage.
Overall, OKC’s offensive production, now outside of SGA, is winning OKC crucial games in one of the toughest schedules in the NBA.
SGA found his help, and it’s paying dividends in downtown OKC.
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