Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Is Set To Be A Breakout Player In The Bubble For The Oklahoma City Thunder

With every passing day, Oklahoma City Thunder General Manager Sam Presti looks smarter. With his back against the wall last summer when being forced to trade Paul George, he got perhaps the best return anyone could have asked for. Not only did he get a record-setting five first round draft picks, but he also got veteran Danilo Gallinari and a young promising player in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

Now, just over a year since that trade, Gilgeous-Alexander is no longer considered a promising young player. Rather, he is considered a rising star. On a Thunder team that has a record of 40-24, good for fifth in the tough Western Conference, Gilgeous-Alexander has has been one of the best players on the entire roster. 

At just 22 years old, he is among the best on the team in nearly every statistical category. 

• Points: 1st
• Free Throw Attempts: 1st
• Games Started: T-1st
• Rebounds: 2nd
• Steals: 2nd
• Blocks: 3rd
• Assists: 3rd
• Field Goal Percentage: 4th
• Free Throw Percentage: 5th
• Player Efficiency Rating: 5th
• 3-Point Percentage: 6th

Clearly, Gilgeous-Alexander made a huge leap in productivity from his rookie year with the Clippers to his second NBA season in Oklahoma City. When looking at his numbers year over year, it tells the whole story. 

Points

• Year 1: 10.8
• Year 2: 19.3

Rebounds

Minutes

• Year 1: 26.5
• Year 2: 35.1

Free Throw Attempts 

Player Efficiency Rating

• Year 1: 13.4
• Year 2: 17.8

Box Plus/Minus

Even with how much better Gilgeous-Alexander has been this season than last, there is a sense around the organization that he has taken yet another jump with four months off to improve his game. This started with several of his teammates talking about how improved he has looked in practice when entering the bubble. 

Head Coach Billy Donovan confirmed what the players had seen early on in practice during their time in the bubble. 

“He has a chance to be a really good player, I mean he’s already a good player, but he has a chance to be a lot better than he already is. The thing that was surprising to me was having this four month layoff…when you look at Shai, you have to look at the fact that he’s had a complete year of playing. The thing that was impressive to me with him coming back was how much stronger he was, how much more experienced he was, how much more confidence he has and I think the strength has really added something to him.”

Additionally, I was able to ask Presti to gave his take on Gilgeous-Alexander and the improvements in his game and physical appearance. 

“What he’s done during the hiatus has been another one of those [leaps]. He’s put a lot of time into his body. He looks better physically, which obviously helps for him. I think his playmaking is improving.”

With Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to get exponentially better during time away from the season, the four month hiatus he just went through may have acted as another offseason for improvement. If that is the case, his growth and development as a future star in the league may have been expedited. We could see what Gilgeous-Alexander would have looked like in year three a little bit earlier. 

With higher expectations, an increased role, and condensed lineups in the playoffs, the young guard will have every opportunity to make another jump in production. Through three scrimmages in very limited minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander has produced a total of 43 points, 13 rebounds, 14 assists, and 3 steals. Like he did many times this season, he led the team in scoring in two of these three scrimmages. Keep an eye on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he looks to be a breakout player in the bubble.