Thunder vs. Pacers: What exactly makes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander such a special player?

Yahoo

a day ago

The Oklahoma City Thunder evened out the NBA Finals 1-1 on Sunday night, as the series heads to Indiana for the next two games.
The Thunder got back on track through the play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which shouldn't come as a surprise given that he won, you know, the friggin' MVP award this season.
Advertisement
That said, it's worth honing in on what makes the slender 6-foot-6 guard so special as he seemingly becomes more unguardable as the stakes increase.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shoots against Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Kyle Phillips)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The 'snakeability'
While 'snakeability' isn't a word, it should be when Gilgeous-Alexander is on the ball, seeing as he's capable of getting to the exact spot on the floor he so chooses after playing off the initial screen.
The 26-year-old loves the midrange pull-up, a shot he goes to almost nine times per game and hits at a 48% rate.
But it isn't just him coming off a pick and then immediately pulling up. That'd be too easy. Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander probes the defense, gauges whichever defender has switched onto him and carefully calculates his next dribble, which determines if he steps back or goes straight up.
Advertisement
And let's not forget the constant threat of the drive, which adds to his midrange proficiency. Defenders are well aware of his capacity of not just drawing fouls (247 made free throws this postseason) but also his ability to bend and twist himself into a pretzel just to get a shot off near the rim.
During the regular season, Gilgeous-Alexander converted an outright ridiculous 74.2% of his attempts within three feet, many of which were self-created off the dribble.
So as defenders pick up the 32.7-point scorer, they're constantly forced to make decisions, immediately as he comes off the screen. Back up, and he's splashing the jumper. Meet him early, he'll accelerate and blow by. Call for a second defender, and he'll either split the double-team, or step back to generate space and find the open man.
Advertisement
Essentially, Gilgeous-Alexander is unguardable in the sense that every decision comes with a possible negative side effect.
His primary scoring weakness, off-ball shooting, simply isn't that big of a concern for the Thunder as the chiseled but lanky Gilgeous-Alexander is utterly elite at finding the ball and initiating the offense.
The added 3-pointer
While the Canadian is most dangerous nearer to the basket, he embraced the long ball this season to a point where it gave him a ripple effect of options.
Just two years ago, he took just 2.5 attempts from long range per game. That's a mark he's close to now hitting every night, meaning defenders now have to make a calculated decision in going under the screen when that used to be second nature.
Advertisement
The added spacing that's provided by the more dynamic 3-point volume has created a larger playground area for the lead guard, as defenders now have to meet him 25-27 feet from the basket, as opposed to 18-20 feet.
This allows for Gilgeous-Alexander's on-ball creativity to get optimized, and it means significantly improved movement patterns for his co-stars now that the offense can get initiated from farther out than it could two years ago.
That doesn't take away from the fact the All-NBA guard is at his best when getting deep into the teeth of the defense, as teams are keenly aware of. But no team can justify leaving a player alone on the perimeter who made 163 3-pointers on the season at almost 38% accuracy.
The forgotten athleticism
While the vast majority of the conversation surrounding Gilgeous-Alexander hinges on footwork, shooting ability and drawing fouls, there's an element that is often forgotten or perhaps conveniently ignored: his athleticism.
Advertisement
While not always utilized at great volume, Gilgeous-Alexander will lean into his enormously fast first step and change of pace when necessary.
Most importantly, he'll use his athletic gifts to switch things up.
He'll beat you with elite footwork on one possession. He might beat you with a simple shot-fake on the next, generating foul shots. And then, when you think you sorta, kinda have him figured out, he'll turn on the jets and blow right by you in a straight-line drive, only to remind you that he's got that in his bag, too.
Gilgeous-Alexander has intentionally turned his offensive approach into a guessing game for his defenders, making him one of the most unpredictable scorers we've seen since, well, Michael Jordan.
Advertisement
(No, we're not turning this into a face-of-the-league discussion, don't worry. But the comparison is apt.)
The 26-year-old has created an exceptional blueprint for high-scoring efficiency, even if almost no one is as skilled and as smooth as he is.
For years, his game will inspire younger players who understand the benefit of being unpredictable scorers. And, as a result, we're likely going to see more players who understand how to leverage certain parts of their game to achieve greater heights.
That's always a good thing.