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When the Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals against the Dallas Mavericks last season, Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander blamed himself for his teammates’ shortcomings. His starting center, Isaiah Hartenstein, wasn't around, but he knew Shai wished he’d equipped them better to withstand a contested best-of-7 series where Oklahoma City could have won the upper hand.
Gilgeous-Alexander changed his approach heading into the 2024-25 campaign. He averaged a career-best 6.4 assists. And while Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein wasn’t in Oklahoma City last season, he noticed SGA’s leadership builds trust among his teammates.
“The trust he has in his teammates. I think that’s huge, especially going into a playoff series where he might see every coverage in the book, have that trust in his teammates, but also being fearless,” Hartenstein said. “He’s a player that no matter how big the stage is, he’s going to show up offensively, and also defensively. I have the most trust in him, and I think our whole team does.”
After scoring 45 points in a 134-128 win against the Los Angeles Clippers last November, Gilgeous-Alexander reflected on the Thunder’s second-round exit and wished he’d done a better job, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
“I don’t say this to slight my teammates,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But I feel like the end of our season last year in the playoffs, obviously for a lot of them, it was the first time in the playoffs and playing games that meaningful. And I don’t want to say they weren’t ready, but I feel like I could have equipped them better throughout the year in taking [certain] shots, getting to spots and being more comfortable in certain positions on the court, especially offensively.”
Coming off a historic 68-14 regular season, the fifth-most regular-season wins in NBA history, the Thunder are perhaps better equipped than ever to make a run towards a title.
Kenrich Williams on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder leadership
Thunder veteran Kenrich Williams revealed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s leadership style with the Thunder. For Williams, it’s Gilgeous-Alexander’s light-hearted approach that stands out most.
“I think it starts with our leader, Shai, he’s a very fun guy,” Williams said. “On the court, he’s super locked in, serious, and we have other guys, too, that are the same way. He’s just one of those guys who keeps the room light. We have great character guys on the team. Guys who are funny, and the coaching staff, they allow us to kind of be ourselves, and not try to hold us back from having fun with the game.”
The Thunder’s first-round playoff series begins at the Paycom Center on Sunday.
