Steals are an Underrated Part of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Arsenal

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to hover around the team’s best steal getter in each of his seasons with OKC.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s skills on the court are widely known.

Of course his scoring and offensive success is at the forefront of his skills especially when discussed around the league.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s stats and abilities speaks for themselves, especially on offense, but his defense is also taking a step forward.

Last season SGA led Oklahoma City in steals per game with 1.3. Of players with more than 20 games played, SGA led the team as the only member to average more than one, Josh Giddey came second with 0.9 steals per game.

In each of Gilgeous-Alexander’s four NBA seasons he has hovered around one steal per game, with his mark last season being a career high.

Last season the steal success was a need for OKC to continue to help the defense as OKC’s shooting struggled throughout the season.

OKC has added a push to fix the offensive woes this offseason, and if the Thunder can continue to find defensive success, with Lu Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander in the lead.

If SGA can either continue to hover around one or rise to 1.5 or more, the Thunder could compete in more games with the added offensive prowess getting more chances to add points.

OKC is unlikely to compete for a playoff spot while they continue to push toward rebuilding, searching for a couple of more young pieces and adding defensive pressure to other teams could prove vital down the stretch in the future for the team.

As Gilgeous-Alexander continues to develop his steal ability has risen, and could raise him into more National conversations around the league.

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