Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Continues To Develop His Elite Playmaking Ability

The MVP is no doubt a good scorer, but he's also proving he can get everyone else involved.

May 20, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket as San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) defends during the first quarter during game two of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

The MVP shows that he can continue to improve year by year. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has dominated the league the past couple of seasons and has back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards to show for it. His resume doesn’t end there, as during his MVP season in 2024-2025, he took home the scoring title and led the Thunder to their first franchise championship, taking home the Finals MVP in the process. 

The Thunder star has already accomplished more than most players in the NBA have ever even dreamed of, yet he is still continuing to get better every season. He is obviously known as one of the best scorers in the game, but as Gilgeous-Alexander’s career has gone on, he has continued to improve in his playmaking abilities for OKC as well. 

This past season, he averaged the most assists per game of his career, with over six per game. The Thunder’s leader led the team and always looked for the open shot. This meant for his own looks as well, with his scoring totals not taking a hit because of his incredible 55.3% shooting from the floor. 

The advanced playmaking in the regular season prepared him for the playoffs, as teams would do whatever it took to try and slow down the MVP’s scoring. Gilgeous-Alexander saw defenses designed specifically for him as he was face-guarded, double-teamed and more. He wasn’t going to let this slow down his team, though, as his playmaking increased, averaging almost eight assists per game in the postseason. 

With his playmaking being at an all-time high, the Kentucky product is not looking to slow down. In fact, one of his biggest weapons, Jalen Williams, was hurt for most of the season, meaning he’ll have more options to work with this upcoming season. Not only that, but the young talent around him in Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell are only going to improve, which means we could only be scratching the surface of his playmaking abilities. 

There is no doubt that Gilgeous-Alexander is looking to score first, as that is his best ability and the way he helps his team win the most. But he is becoming more and more dangerous every year with the increase in his all-around abilities. What can you do against one of the best scorers in the league if he is just going to find the open man when he can’t get a shot? That is something the rest of the league will have to figure out because that is exactly the situation Gilgeous-Alexander displays.