After a very good 2020/21 season (23.7 points at 50.8% on shots, 4.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists), followed by a lucrative contract extension last summer ($ 172 million over five years), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander entered the 2021/22 season, his fourth in the league and third with the Thunder, with high ambitions and expectations. Solidly established as one of the best young people in the league, “SGA” seemed well on its way, at 23, to know the season of the explosion, the one that could bring him closer to an All-Star Game, for example.
Unfortunately, reality quickly caught up with the Canadian: during the first part of the season, his averages stabilized and even dropped: 22.7 points (42.4% on shots, 27.8% from behind the arc), 4.7 assists and 5.5 assists . A regression then the Thunder stacked the defeats (14-29 over this period). Then the full-back suffered an ankle injury at the end of January, to the point of missing 10 games. Some even imagined him to give up on the end of the season as the Thunder is still freewheeling.
The All-Star Break and the injury of Josh Giddey, rocking moments
But since the return of All-Star Weekend, everything is better for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Healed from his injury, he finally finds his rhythm and it does damage: in the last 7 matches of the Thunder, he averages 33.3 points per game (57.1% on shots), 6.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists, with 6 outings on 7 to 30+ points per game. It’s the best phase of his season, even of his career, and it’s not even starting to surprise his coach anymore: ” He begins to trivialize these performances” said Mark Daigneault.
Knowledgeable Thunder watchers will notice that this recent momentum comes during a specific timing: the absence of Josh Giddey. The rookie injured his hip… the day after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s return and does not seem ready to return anytime soon. Without the Australian and his excellent “playmaking”, “SGA” must therefore take care of everything in attack, and this partly explains his current excellent level of play.
But the former Kentucky player knows the Thunder are a better team when teamed up with Josh Giddey, and acknowledged he would move up to second back when the Aussie returns.
Natural leader and conductor of the OKC attack this season, the rookie was also evolving at a very good level before his injury, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander does not want to step on his toes. ” Josh has been playing at a great level for the past few weeks, and I don’t want to hinder that dynamic when he comes back. To become an excellent team, which we aspire to, I know that it is necessary to have several ball carriers.“
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 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 | 0.6 | 10.8 |
| 2019-20 | OKAY | 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 | OKAY | 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 | OKAY | 49 | 35 | 44.4 | 28.6 | 80.8 | 0.7 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 0.8 | 24.0 |
| Total | 236 | 32 | 47.1 | 34.5 | 80.6 | 0.7 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 4.2 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 17.9 | |
