OKC Thunder Superstar Clears the Air on Playing Off Ball

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Shai Gilgeous-Alexander work off the ball with Team Canada. He discussed why at Media Day.

Sep 29, 2025; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poses for a photo during the 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder media day at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Throughout the offseason, the days get long. The content dries up. There is only so many times and so many ways you can rehash the same topics from the last time the Oklahoma City Thunder stepped on the hardwood. There was a lot of discussion swirling around the Thunder's disappointing and injury-riddled end to the 2025-26 campaign at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Eventually, it was time to turn the page.

One of the crumbs of content the Thunder faithful had this summer outside of their busy transaction window, was superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander playing for Team Canada in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

The back-to-back went into Team Canada camp and the pair of games he played wanting to play off the ball more. On Modnay at Oklahoma City Thunder media day, he was asked how that deicison was made and if he hopes to see it translate to the NBA level more.

"Every season, and every off-season, I use it to try to find ways to become a more well-rounded basketball player. And that was just an area of the game where I felt like I could be a better basketball player. And some summers, it's defense; some summers, it's off-the-dribble shooting; some summers, it's posting up. And yeah, nothing more than that. Just try to become the best basketball player I can be when it's all said and done," Gilgeous-Alexander explained.

Gilgeous-Alexander has been one of the best developmental stories in NBA history. Each year climbing the ladder, getting better and now being one of the best players in the world. As the superstar rattled off the areas of his game he has worked on in the past summers, it is easy to think about how all those areas have shown up in his NBA career.

Time will tell how much off-the-ball work the typical ball dominate guard will have during the 2026-27 campaign but there would be benefits for himself and the team if this is an area of growth that sticks. Most notably taking his usage down during the regular season to perhaps save miles on his legs for the NBA Playoffs where the team hopes to have yet another deep run.

It also could open things up for co-star Jalen Williams and rising star Ajay Mitchell to have more on the ball chances to bend the defense while making it harder to put Gilgeous-Alexander in traffic if he is playing off the ball more. It alters how defenses must choose to position themselves if they want to be geared up to send extra bodies at the back-to-back MVP they leave themselves exposed for the team's no. 2 scoring option in Williams along with Mitchell, two of the teams biggest downhill threats behind Gilgeous-Alexander.