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Oklahoma City Thunder rising star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had some honest thoughts on opponents game planning against him. The guard started the season garnering a field goal percentage of better than 40% in seven of his first eight games. In the following eight games, however, he was below 40% in seven of the eight he played in. Here were Gilgeous-Alexander's thoughts, per Joe Mussatto of Oklahoman Sports:
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shot better than 40% from the floor in seven of the Thunder's first eight games.
He's shot sub 40% in seven of the eight games since.
SGA: "I for sure have noticed the difference in the defenses lately. There's more attention on me."
— Joe Mussatto (@joe_mussatto) November 21, 2021
The lottery pick out of Kentucky has been shooting the ball very poorly this past month, with the lowest being a percentage of 18.2% against the Miami Heat. While he had an average of 44.2% field goal shooting in the month of October, his numbers have dropped tremendously in November, to 37.7%. Teams are likely paying more attention to Gilgeous-Alexander not only because he is scoring at a high level, but also because he is the Thunder's biggest offensive threat.
The youngster is still figuring out the dynamics of offense on a rebuilding Oklahoma City roster. As the face of the franchise, the point guard is getting a lot of freedom, but will need to develop more efficient methods of scoring if he wants to bring the Thunder to the next level. Currently, he is averaging 20.4 points per night, while grabbing 5.1 rebounds and dishing out 4.4 assists.
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The Thunder altered their entire roster the past few seasons, getting rid of household names in Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Steven Adams. The big name players were traded for younger players or draft picks. Though many believed Oklahoma City would focus on rebuilding through the draft, the team has been somewhat competitive, with a record of 6-10. The Thunder have shown resilience against tougher opponents, making teams like the Bucks and Celtics fight till the end to come off with a victory. Per Brandon Rahbar of the Daily Thunder:
SGA: “We’re gonna fight to the end.”
Two straight nights, OKC was down big to a title contender and clawed back for a tight finish. pic.twitter.com/LfLQ4KGabV
— Brandon Rahbar (@BrandonRahbar) November 21, 2021
SGA may be facing adversity with his shooting woes as of now, but the guard has the potential to be an All-Star caliber player for years to come. By garnering valuable prospects through the draft and utilizing their draft capital in necessary trades, the Thunder could be a formidable force in the near future.
