Stiles Points: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander In Post Lifts OKC Thunder Offense

There are three certainties in life. Death, Taxes and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander knocking down a mid-range jumper.

The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar is in the driver's seat to take home the 2024-25 NBA MVP Award due to the spectacular season he is putting together on the league's best squad that lapped the rough, tough and wild Western Conference.

This is on the heels of a top five finish for the MVP award in 2022-23 and a runner up finish in the 2024-24 campaign.

A year ago, Gilgeous-Alexander dazzled in the postseason –– specifically against the eventual Western Conference champion Mavericks, where the soon to be MVP posted 32 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, a steal and two blocks per game in that series.

Certainly seems like the OKC Thunder superstar's game translates to the playoffs, despite the rumblings this season or concern that the Thunder will dip in the postseason.

Oklahoma City has seen Gilgeous-Alexander improve every year of his career, including this one. The story of this season has been the superstars step forward as a playmaker en route to a career-high in assists per game and his 3-point shooting ranks second in his career at the 37% mark but on a career high 5.7 attempts a night.

Couple that with the stars refined post game that is borederline unstoppable and it is easy to see how Gilgeous-Alexander's already stellar postseason a year ago can be one upped this summer.

In the mid-range, the 26-year-old tied for a career-high 51% shooting in the mid-range which ranks in the 98th percentile according to Cleaning the Glass.

While those shots come from all over the floor no matter if it is a step back from the nail, rise up at the elbow, getting into the mid-paint or in the post, his baseline jumper is what really should excite Bricktown.

When the Thunder star gets to his spot along the baseline, you might as well put the two points on the scoreboard before the ball leaves his hands. He is the best shot maker in that range in the league from the guard position and uniquely can toss the ball over the backboard at impossible angles to unlock what feels like a cheat code for OKC's offense.

Shai. Over. The. Backboard. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/jm4WF7oLa4
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 28, 2025

Now, play this out in a postseason thought exercise. With Oklahoma City being littered with more connective playmakers than ever, Gilgeous-Alexander can play off the ball within a possession. The Thunder can isolate him off the ball on one side of the floor along that baseline and with a crisp entry pass puts the opposition in an impossible spot.

If you leave Gilgeous-Alexander one-on-one in the post along that baseline where he turns in over a point per possession, just get back on defense the possession is over and Oklahoma City has captured a bucket with a turnaround jumper from its superstar.

But what if you send help? What if you try to take that shot away? Gilgeous-Alexander has proven an ability to dart passes out to teammates who not only are improved shooters but vastly improved at playing off the catch to get downhill behind a defense and create easy points that way.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a popular pick to make the NBA Finals and capture its first Western Conference title since the 2011-12 season. A key to that? Getting Gilgeous-Alexander to the post office.

Song of the Day: Mr. Postman by The Marvelettes.