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OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has come a long way from a young prospect GM Sam Presti traded for with the Los Angeles Clippers to an ascending MVP candidate. After Game 1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, where the Thunder defeated their opponent by 51 points, 131-80, Gilgeous-Alexander took a moment to reflect on his growth with Oklahoma City.
When a reporter mentioned Thunder GM Sam Presti gesturing Gilgeous-Alexander’s intelligence from the crowd during Game 1, Shai shared how Presti impacted SGA’s growth throughout his time in Oklahoma City.
“Sam specifically, and the organization, has given me a runway to figure it out, and kind of just feel it out throughout my career — I think that’s why I’m the player I am today,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I had a clean runway. I didn’t have to worry about making mistakes. I could just trust my work and learn from my experiences. So, yeah, he has a big part.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sam Presti giving him the freedom to grow:
“Sam specifically has given me a runway to figure it out, and kind of just feeling it out throughout my career — that’s why I’m the player I am today… didn’t have to worry about making mistakes” pic.twitter.com/KhsiUwVL4a
— Josue Pavón (@Joe_Sway) April 20, 2025
Thunder GM Sam Presti watched Gilgeous-Alexander finish with 15 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two blocks. Aaron Wiggins’ 21 points off the bench led six players in double figures. Chet Holmgren (19 points, 10 rebounds) notched a double-double, and Isaiah Hartenstein added 15 points, five assists, and two blocks in Sunday’s win against the Grizzlies.
Mark Daigneault on Grizzlies’ Game 2 despite Thunder blowout
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault is prepared for a different Grizzlies team in Game 2 on Tuesday. Daigneault is anticipating a much stronger opponent after Sunday’s 51-point blowout win, which followed the Grizzlies’ 120-106 win against the Mavericks on Friday.
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Daigneault discussed why he isn’t looking too deep into the Thunder’s historic win in Game 1.
“We did a good job tonally to start the game. We were ready to play, thought we were tight in our stuff, and like I said, set a good, but they played 36 hours ago, and had an emotional game,” Daigneault said. “Had to turn around and play at noon today, which is a really tough turnaround. So, they’re going to be better Tuesday. I thought we did a really good job, but I don’t think we can expect that from them. They’re going to play a lot better than that.
“They’re going to be fresher. They’re big-time competitors. So, we need to be ready to play on Tuesday,” Daigneault concluded.
Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams shared a similar take on the Grizzlies’ effort on Sunday.
“They just played like 36 hours ago,” Williams said. “So, they’re kind of coming in here. Still have to take a little bit of this win, with like, they’re going to be way better Game 2.”
Thunder will host the Grizzlies in Game 2.
