Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Season Was One of Thunderous Proportions

The Oklahoma City Thunder became one of the quickest teams in NBA history to ascend from the basement of the league to near the top. Their season did not end the way they had hoped, with a brutal loss to the Dallas Mavericks on free throws in the second round, but the Thunder have proven they have nowhere to go from here but up.

And that upward spiral was catapulted by one player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder are a complete team, featuring a collection of young talent on both sides of the ball.

But the emergence of Gilgeous-Alexander in the past couple of seasons, but specifically his play this season, was the main reason why the Thunder finished where they did this season: at the top.

Breakout Stats for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

SGA finished the season with career-highs in multiple categories

The 25-year-old point guard was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. That same night, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, and then eventually to the Thunder in 2019 as part of the Paul George trade. It was in Oklahoma City that Gilgeous-Alexander grew into the superstar he is today, and perhaps no season represented that more than this one.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points per game this year, his second-highest of all time behind last year’s average of 31.4 points per game. But the 2023-24 season saw him take giant leaps in his game that were absent last year. He averaged a career-high in assists, with 6.2 per game, and his rebounds increased dramatically from 4.8 per game last year on average to 5.5 this year.

Perhaps the greatest area where Gilgeous-Alexander improved this year was his shooting. This season saw him post a career-high in shooting percentage, as he shot 53.5 percent from the field on average. Additionally, his three-point shooting improved, jumping to 35.3 percent this year on average.

The dominance of Gilgeous-Alexander reached another level in the playoffs. In the 10 postseason games played this year, he averaged 30.2 points per game, along with 7.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists. He shot 49.6 percent from the field and 43.2 percent from the three-point range.

Shai also led the league in steals and 30-point games this season. He had the most 30 point games of any player this year since James Harden back in 2019. His dominance in the regular season and the amplification of that dominance in the playoffs indicated that he was not intimidated by the bright lights of the playoffs, which the Thunder experienced for the first time.

Heart On His Sleeve

Shai gave the Thunder both skill and heart this season

Following the Thunder’s Game 6 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and subsequent elimination at the hands of them, Gilgeous-Alexander took full responsibility while giving a positive outlook to the future. He has become the locker room leader of the club, someone that his younger teammates can and will look up to.

The final play of the game was, ultimately, his fault. In the foul seen ‘round the world, Gilgeous-Alexander fouled P.J. Washington with 2.5 seconds remaining in the game, and the Thunder up by one. That resulted in Washington taking free throws to give Dallas the permanent lead, and Gilgeous-Alexander sealed the deal on his season — a mistake that he admitted he made.

The Thunder know where they want to go, and that is further upward. Despite Gilgeous-Alexander’s blunder, he is and will continue to be the primary factor that leads the Thunder where they want to go — which is a championship — should they get there. The Thunder have never won a title in their history in Oklahoma City, and Gilgeous-Alexander seeks to change that.

Here to Stay

Thunder are one of the youngest teams in the league and are here to stay

The Thunder are equipped with the tools necessary to do that. They are one of the youngest teams in the league, and became the youngest team in NBA history to win a playoff series when they swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of this year’s playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander played a key role in that series.

The 2023-24 season was a tremendous graduation for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He was named an All-Star for the second consecutive year, but it was his first time ever being selected as a starter. Not only did he put up dominating regular-season stats, but he carried the Thunder through the playoffs, dramatically improving his numbers in the ten-game sample size.

Gilgeous-Alexander led a Thunder team who lacked any playoff experience to the Western Conference Semifinals. That lack of experience would ultimately be a primary component in their elimination, but Shai became the representation of the Thunder’s lack of fear in that department. They won a highly-competitive Western Conference, and proved to the world that they are, indeed, here to stay.

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