NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander focused as outside expectations rise

FILE – Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander watches free throws during Game 4 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks Monday, May 13, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)

OKLAHOMA CITY — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spent several years in Oklahoma City as an unheralded scorer on a losing team in a small market.

Then, he improved his defense and became an All-Star. Then the Thunder surprised the league and started winning, and Gilgeous-Alexander was named an All-Star again.

Now, for the first time in his career, the Canadian guard isn’t flying under the radar. He’s one of the league’s elite players on what is expected to be one of its best teams. He finished second in the league MVP balloting last season as the Thunder earned the top seed in the NBA Western Conference playoffs.

READ: NBA: Thunder trade Josh Giddey to Bulls for Alex Caruso

"He's such a good player and a smart player that it's easy to plug in any team… fortunate it's our team."

SGA on the Thunder adding Alex Caruso ⛈️#NBAMediaDay pic.twitter.com/UifqPj2hrD

— NBA (@NBA) September 30, 2024

Gilgeous-Alexander calmly deflected questions about his personal goals and said he and the Thunder will remain focused, even if others view them differently because of their recent success.

“It doesn’t change anything for us,” he said at media day on Monday. “Our biggest focus has been always day-to-day and trying to be better every day, trying to get better every day, be better than we were yesterday. I think that’s why we got to where we were last year, and I think us not changing that mentality and keeping that the same is in our best interest, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

It sounds like a mature approach, and that makes sense. At 26, Gilgeous-Alexander is no longer the young guy. He’s heading into his sixth year on the team and is among the longest-tenured players on the roster.

Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder never worried about outside opinions, even when they went 22-50 in 2020-’21 and 24-58 in 2021-’22. He said Oklahoma City made the leap from reaching the Play-In Tournament two years ago to the second round of the playoffs last season by staying the course.

Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said Gilgeous-Alexander has made steady growth on and off the court, and that has accelerated the turnaround.

“When I came in, Shai was a do-it type of leader where he would show that he was capable of being a professional, addressing certain things that might be going on in the game and stuff like that,” Wiggins said. “As we’ve continued to kind of grow and being on the same team and stuff, he’s kind of been a little bit more vocal and continued to kind of grow in that leadership role.”

READ: NBA: Young Thunder brimming with optimism after playoff exit

Gilgeous-Alexander’s words matter, in part, because he puts up elite numbers. The first-team All-NBA selection averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game last season. He shot 53.5% from the field and 87.4% from the free-throw line and tied for the league lead with 150 total steals.

He continued his dominance at the Olympics. Canada was one of the favorites and went unbeaten in pool play before losing to France in the quarterfinals. Gilgeous-Alexander still was named to the Olympics All-Second Team after averaging 21 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

“Shai was doing the main thing, all the stuff he is always doing on the court,” Lu Dort, Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammate with the Thunder and Canada, said. “To share the court with him representing our country — I feel like we all did our part on representing our country well. It was a great experience for both of us.”

Now that the Thunder’s season has arrived, Gilgeous-Alexander is just as focused on the little things as the big ones. When training camp starts Tuesday, the Thunder will officially start trying to help blend two key new players — center Isaiah Hartenstein and guard Alex Caruso — into a well-established group during training camp.

“Especially this time, this is like, we’re bonding, making sure we’re doing things together,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Especially with our new additions, we want to make sure we maintain and keep our camaraderie. Little things like that are on my mind right now.”