Shai Gilgeous-Alexander arguably became a top-five player in the previous two seasons in the NBA. He is one of the few players with no true weakness in his game. However, one thing that could be improved was SGA’s three-point shot. Shai shot a combined 34.9% from three in those two seasons, which is good but not great. Coming into the preseason, you could tell he was working on his three-point shot in the offseason. In the first 10 games of the season, SGA struggled from deep, and it seemed like Shai was going to limit the shots once again. However, these last seven games have been completely different, and the Thunder are finally seeing the benefits of SGA becoming a legit three-point shooter.
Thunder Finally Reaping the Benefits of SGA’s 3-Point Shot
SGA’s Improved Shooting
In the first 10 games of the season, SGA struggled immensely from deep. He shot 14-53 for 26% from deep in those 10 games. This was not the improvement the Thunder were hoping for. It seemed like he was forcing a lot of threes and wasn’t taking them within the flow of the offense. In addition, he was also taking more of a back seat to get guys like Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and others more involved. Since he struggled from deep, his scoring was down, as he averaged 26.1 points per game. His shooting struggles were hurting the team more than helping them, even though they went 8-2 in those games.
However, the last seven games have been a completely different story. In the previous seven games, he has shot 19-40, which is 47.5% from deep. This has improved his total to 35.5% from deep on the season. He has started to become a legitimate weapon from behind the arc. This was exactly what the Thunder had hoped for coming into the season with his three-point shot. However, he most likely won’t shoot 47.5% from deep for the rest of the year. But if he can end the year shooting around 40% from deep, it will become a major problem for opposing teams.
How SGA’s Three-Point Shot Has Benefited His Game
Shai’s ability to knock down threes at a consistent level has opened up his game tremendously. Even without the heavy dose of threes, Shai is one of the best scorers in the NBA and was pretty much unguardable. Now that he is knocking down threes at this rate, opposing teams can forget about trying to stop him. Opposing defenses are now respecting the shot more and playing up higher on him, making it easier for him to drive to the basket and get into his mid-range game. The one thing the defense could do to try and slow down SGA was to sag off of him a little and force him to take threes. However, that isn’t the case anymore since he has improved as a shooter.
His stats in the last seven games have proved why adding a legit three-point shot has helped him. In those seven games, he is averaging 33.6 points per game, which would be a career-high for him if he continues to average those numbers. In addition, he is shooting 54% from the field, which would also be a career-high. Even with the uptick in three-point shooting, he remains one of the more efficient scorers in the game. A part of his improved stats has to do with Holmgren’s injury. However, it is more because he added a legit three-point shot and made life on the offensive side of the ball easier for him to score.
It is a Benefit to the Team as Well
SGA is not the only one to benefit from his three-point shooting. The Thunder as a team has also benefited from it as well. With defenses having to respect SGA more from behind the arc, it has spread the defense out and has opened more driving lanes for people to score. The person who has benefited the most from this is Jalen Williams, who is having another breakout season for the Thunder. However, others are benefiting from it as well, with easier driving lanes and easier shots. It is almost a pick your poison when guarding this team. Do you pack the paint and not let guys like SGA drive on you all game and force them to shoot, or do you spread out and guard the three-ball, which opens up drives?
The Last Word
Finally, SGA’s improved three-point shot has taken his game to new heights as well as unlocked new dimensions to their offense. If he can keep up shooting the ball well from deep and doesn’t revert down to the first ten games, it will do wonders for the Thunder in the long run, especially in the playoffs when the game slows down and becomes tighter. The last seven games are exactly what the Thunder wanted to see from SGA and his shooting. The Thunder are hopeful it will be able to continue for the rest of the year and that this seven-game stretch won’t just become an outlier when the season is over.
