‘Le jeu à l’ancienne de Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a propulsé les jeunes du Thunder à un nouveau niveau’

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has defied expectations and become one of the best players in the NBA this season. Despite being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder after showing promise with the Los Angeles Clippers, SGA has embraced the Thunder’s rebuild and reconstructed the exuberance associated with Oklahoma City. He has done this by bucking up against league trends and excelling with a throwback style that operates within a modern squad.

Gilgeous-Alexander has cut back on his three-point attempts and upped his free-throw rate during his breakout campaign. He gets to the line 10-plus times per game, hardly ever turns the ball over, and makes more than half his shots overall. He is also leading the NBA in drives per game for the third straight season, and scoring 17.1 points per game off those drives. SGA draws fouls on more than 20 percent of Thunder possessions, but his style is far from cheap, as he has made 46 percent of his midrange jumpers this season and is shooting a career-high 64 percent at the rim.

The Thunder have built their team around SGA, emphasizing ball movement and spacing. They force turnovers on defense and are elite at turning steals into offense on the other end. They get to the line and are fairly adept at getting offensive rebounds. SGA can get one of the team’s many wings the ball and watch them find an opening inside and power through the opponent. When teams sell out to guard Gilgeous-Alexander’s drives, packing the paint and daring younger scorers to shoot, SGA has mastered the dance of scoring in no man’s land.

Gilgeous-Alexander has become a franchise icon for the future, today’s star, and yesterday’s hooper. He has blown past the usual doubts, as the Thunder’s stature as the 10-seed in the West is on the backs of his nightly Herculean performances. He has become a leader for the Thunder and has perhaps already surpassed Paul George’s tenure in OKC. SGA looks like a lock for All-NBA honors, as he has defied expectations and become one of the best players in the league.

Keywords: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, NBA, Oklahoma City Thunder, All-NBA, franchise icon, ball movement, spacing, scoring.