Among the top five scorers in the league, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only one not to lose more than three balls per match. The Thunder star is economical with only 2.7 balls lost on average. But like any good scorer who has the ball in his hands a lot, there are evenings when the swelling burns his hands.
Against the Pelicans, in an evening where the Thunder wasted 18 possessions, he lost 4 balls, including three on dribbling situations. The one-on-one, isolation, cornerstone of his game and effective system for Oklahoma City, also has bad sides.
“It’s a responsibility to assume but what reassures me, and reassures us, with him, is that we give the keys to someone who pays attention to the car he drives. It's easy to give these responsibilities to a player like him or Jalen Williams.”, assures Mark Daigneaultwho adds that “no one thinks about their game anymore” nor “wants to progress more when he has failed” as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
A collective responsibility too
But the Thunder coach doesn't just want to put his star's lost balls on his back. For the technician, it is also up to his teammates to sometimes offer him solutions so that he does not find himself stuck.
“It’s up to him to learn from these situations, to know the best way to attack them, but it’s also very much a collective matter,” insists Mark Daigneault. “The Pelicans made some traps in the second half and we couldn't manage them. But it's up to the five players to be responsible, not just one. »
The success of the team depends on it since, this season, the Canadian has finished a match six times with at least 4 lost balls. The Thunder's record in this case? 3 victories for 3 defeats. The rest of the time, it's 15 successes for only 2 small setbacks…
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | LAKE | 82 | 27 | 47.6 | 36.7 | 80.0 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 10.8 |
| 2019-20 | OKC | 70 | 35 | 47.1 | 34.7 | 80.7 | 0.7 | 5.2 | 5.9 | 3.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 19.0 |
| 2020-21 | OKC | 35 | 34 | 50.8 | 41.8 | 80.8 | 0.5 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 0.7 | 23.7 |
| 2021-22 | OKC | 56 | 35 | 45.3 | 30.0 | 81.0 | 0.7 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 24.5 |
| 2022-23 | OKC | 68 | 36 | 51.0 | 34.5 | 90.5 | 0.9 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 31.4 |
| 2023-24 | OKC | 75 | 34 | 53.5 | 35.3 | 87.4 | 0.9 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 30.1 |
| 2024-25 | OKC | 23 | 34 | 50.8 | 32.6 | 85.6 | 0.9 | 4.4 | 5.3 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 29.8 |
| Total | 409 | 33 | 49.7 | 34.6 | 85.2 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 23.2 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
