The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Paul George trade, and it has paid off big time for Thunder thus far.
The Los Angeles Clippers drafted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. Coming out of college, Gilgeous-Alexander was known for his defense and needed time for his offensive game to develop.
Rookie Season
Last season with Clippers, he averaged 10.8 points per game on 47.6% shooting from the field and 36.7% percent. Those aren’t bad numbers for a rookie. He played a lot of point guard for the Clippers season and did a pretty good job. Before the Paul George trade, the former first-round pick was seen as untouchable until the Clippers were able to get Kawhi Leonard and deal for Paul George.
The Thunder also traded Russell Westbrook, while acquiring Chris Paul. Nobody expected much from the Thunder this year, but so far this season, they are playing good basketball. Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Dennis Schroder are vital players in the surprising season, but the emergence of Gilgeous-Alexander is the crucial piece.
Coming Into His Own
Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder in scoring averaging 19.9 points per this season. His scoring average is up to nine points from last season. The former Clipper is shooting 46% from the floor and 35% from three-point land. Gilgeous-Alexander is also averaging 5.3 rebounds per game.
The Thunder star is thriving playing off the ball this season as opposed to last season. Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander played 97% of his minutes at the one. This year he is playing 84% of his minutes at the two position. The second-year player worked on his game this offseason, he came in with a chip on his shoulder, and it is paying off for the Thunder. Playing with a future Hall of Fame point guard is helping Gilgeous-Alexander. Paul’s leadership and teaching are helping the second-year star big time. It will be interesting to see if Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder can keep this up all season.
