Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Blueprint For A Deeper Playoff Run

After falling short in the playoffs last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder had to make adjustments to ensure better results in future seasons. While the roster was naturally enhanced in the offseason due to acquiring Alex Caruso via trade and Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency, the internal development of the returning players was equally as important.

One of the downfalls Oklahoma City had last year was production from the supporting cast. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was phenomenal the entire playoffs, but those around him had room for improvement, especially if the Thunder wanted to become a true championship contender and favorite to win it all. That goes beyond Gilgeous-Alexander’s primary sidekicks in Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. It also extends to the other six to nine players who were set to get minutes in the postseason this time around.

To catalyze that development in preparation for these complementary pieces around Gilgeous-Alexander, he ensured a focal point of the recent regular season was to put them in situations to succeed in the biggest moments. There were plenty of times in which the Thunder faced a deficit down the stretch and Gilgeous-Alexander could have hit a different gear to generate the points necessary to give the team the best chance to win that particular game. But instead, there were numerous occasions in which you could tell he was being more conservative in an effort to empower those around him.

“I don’t say this to slight my teammates, but I feel like the end of our season last year in the playoffs, for a lot of them it was their time in the playoffs and playing games that are meaningful,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in November. “I don’t wanna say they weren’t ready, but I feel like I could’ve equipped them better throughout the year in taking shots, getting to spots, and being more comfortable in certain positions on the court.”

His approach to better equipping his teammates has been noticeable all season since then. Having a slightly better chance of winning a regular season game by Gilgeous-Alexander taking things into his own hands late would have been shortsighted. The value in other pieces stepping up on the offensive end had a better chance of yielding positive results longer-term in playoff settings.

This philosophy of Gilgeous-Alexander naturally enhancing his teammates by allowing them to learn, make mistakes, and attempt different things in a variety of settings is already paying dividends through the first round of the playoffs. In the Thunder’s opening series against the Memphis Grizzlies, not only did the Thunder sweep, but the team got significant contributions from players outside of Gilgeous-Alexander.

In fact, Holmgren and Williams combined for nearly 42 points per game as a secondary star duo for Oklahoma City through its first four contests of the postseason. In last year’s playoff run for the Thunder, that duo combined for just over 34 points per game.

Oklahoma City also got positive contributions from several other complementary players in this first-round series, including a team-high 21 points from Aaron Wiggins in Game 1, 13 points on 50% shooting from beyond the arc in Game 2 from Alex Caruso, and 34 combined points from the bench in Game 4 that closed out the series.

In each round from this point on, it will take more and more from not only Gilgeous-Alexander but also from those around him. The Thunder has the pieces to win a championship this season, but it will take everything falling into place in perfect harmony for that to happen. Gilgeous-Alexander’s approach to the recent regular season gives OKC a better chance of that coming to fruition.