We have been blessed as a fanbase to see a superstar blossom right in front of our eyes in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The centerpiece of the Paul George trade, we have watched him go from bench guy, 3rd option, to running the show. And run it, he has.

Over the last four seasons, Shai has led the league in drives per game in three of those four seasons. Shai has boasted the efficiency of a wing player, shooting over 50% from the field and averaging about six free throw attempts per game.

Because of this, the fanbase, and the NBA at large, have associated Shai’s game to three things: driving to the basket, shooting the mid range jumper, and getting to the free throw line. 

And he’s been pretty good at it. Averaging over 30 points per game in each of the past two seasons, Shai is widely considered one of the top 5 player in the world and is on the shortlist for MVP for everyone who has a pulse.

So, going into his 7th season, fresh off back to back All-Star appearances, being named a starter in the All-Star game, and being a back to back 1st Team All-NBA recipient, many people think Shai should just stick with what got him there, and leave well enough alone.

But that’s not Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

He summed this up in 2021, with a banger of a quote.

“I’m not playing this game just to be a good basketball player. I want to be one of the greatest to ever play.”

He is always adding to his game. Whether it was the stepback, catch and shoot 3, off ball defense, playmaking, etc., Shai has gone into the lab every offseason, and every offseason he comes out acting different.

I imagine him stepping into a lab (for some reason this one I’m picturing in my head has automatic sliding doors) normal Shai, but after some time,  when he emerges from the sliding doors, smoke billows out of the room with a green haze in the background, and somewhere, somehow, an organ is playing and angels are singing. Anyways, back to the point.

Is it awesome that he is a top 5 player in the world right now? Absolutely. Would it be easy to just continue what he’s doing now? Absolutely. Could he have similar success doing exactly what he has done the past couple of seasons? Absolutely. (Topic: Thunder listeners have drank themselves into a coma with all the absolutely) BUT, Shai doesn’t want what he already has, Shai isn’t ok with the status quo, Shai doesn’t want to just go through the motions and be remembered as just another good player.

He’s on some Ash Ketchum energy. This dude wants to be the very best, like NO ONE ever was.

So yes, he will continue to add to his game, and we have the fruits of those seeds he planted the offseason (IN THE LAB).

He looks engaged and disruptive when he is playing on ball defense.

His playmaking reads are sharper than ever, and he’s making passes we have never seen him make. Live dribble skip passes from one end of the court to the other, one hand dump offs to a cutter, hitting the roller in stride, hitting the shooters in their pockets; consistently.

But one addition to his game that has been met with uproar and outrage by a large (and troubling) portion of the Thunder fan community, is his increased 3 point shooting volume.

First off, it fits Sam Presti’s ethos to a T. Exploration, and experimentation are the reason you see the roster you see today for the Thunder. Presti has tried things, failed at things, and succeeded at things. All in all, he collected data, learned from his mistakes, enforced his correct decisions, and now we have a juggernaut in Oklahoma City.

It’s not different with Shai. Yes, that dude is and has been unguardable, but if he learns how to shoot high volume, off dribble, pull up 3-pointers, he will become unstoppable.

It adds a new weapon to your offense that opponents have to account for. They can’t build a wall in the paint and dare Shai to shoot middy’s over it. Shai can force them to play him close, and then it’s curtains. Play him to close, he’s blowing by you. Sag off on him just enough, and he’s comfortable and confident to pull that 3 in your eye; without having to first simulate the drive and get to his stepback.

That’s the why he should do this, (which I feel should be fairly obvious?), let’s get into the why now.

It’s simple. We are 4 games into the regular season.

I get it, it hurts your heart to look at Shai’s stat line and see 2/10 from deep. You also may think that this is going to hurt his chances at MVP. The chances of a player averaging 26 points, 7.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.3 (!!!) turnovers, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game, and leading the undefeated best team in the West and possibly NBA, but I digress.

But we have played the Nuggets, Bulls, Hawks, and Spurs. One team whose name holds weight, and another three that aren’t exactly world beaters.

Which brings me to my next point.

Shai is doing what he needs to do to win in the games we need him to.

If you look at Shai’s stats in his four games played, it’s not hard to see which games he took seriously and which games he took *less* seriously.

The Nuggets were (probably still are) considered contenders in the West, and it was opening night for the Thunder. The Hawks started out hot 2-0, and it was the home opener for the Thunder. Those games Shai went all out in, and it shows in the stats and his efficiency.

The Bulls and Spurs games? He went through the motions a bit more, while still shooting a high volume of 3-point shots.

It’s because of this (along with the fact that I don’t think Shai, or Mark Daigneault, are inherently stupid) that I have a hard time believing in a game we are down, in a game we are tied, in a game we are playing in clutch time, in a game we are playing a worthwhile opponent, that Shai is going to just keep chucking up a shot that is less efficient than his bread and butter.

We talked about why he’s doing it, we talked about why he’s doing it now, now let’s talk about why he’s able to do it.

This collection of talent currently on the Thunder is the best in the team’s history, and arguably one of the most collectively talented teams ever assembled in the NBA. We have guys that can create for themselves, create for their teammates, space the floor, penetrate to the bucket, initiate the offense, get to the line, play their roles and help this team win.

The last four years, Shai has led the league in drives, but that’s only because he had to.

The drive hasn’t gone away (he’s 7th in total drives currently), but because of the leap of guys like Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, freaking Cason Wallace, Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, and the additions of Alex Caruso, the yet to be played Isaiah Hartenstein, and rookie sensation Ajay Mitchell, he doesn’t have to do that anymore.

We don’t need Shai to put the cape on, take the bumps, bruises, scrapes, and elbows of driving to the lane relentlessly for 82 (+16) games anymore. We have other guys that we can rely on for consistent output, while Shai tries to become incomparable in the game of basketball.

It’s like in Dragonball Z whenever Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, and Gohan were training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to defeat their enemy. While they were training, they had guys like Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien guarding them, protecting Earth while they did what they needed to do. And when they came out, they had what they needed to defeat their enemy (Buu, I think).

Sorry to go nerdy on you there, but Chet playing like an All-NBA guy, Dub playing like a fringe All-Star, and all the other guys collectively stepping up to carry the load for awhile, while Shai gears up to become the very best, like no one ever was, is what I’m getting at.

And maybe it doesn’t work. Maybe he never gets comfortable with it, or maybe it takes longer than we would like for it to. Hasn’t he done enough for this city, this team, this fanbase to buy himself just a little bit of patience and good will?

If ever the situation were to come up where we need him to don the cape in order to save us, he can knock that dust off and put it on. His middy, his drive, his finishing…those aren’t going anywhere. He’ll always be able to tap into that, as we have seen in years past and even in the 4th quarter of the Spurs game.

At the end of the day, the Thunder are 4-0. Only undefeated team in the West and widely considered contenders for the title. The Thunder are wrecking teams, and they haven’t even put together an offensive performance like we know they are capable of.

Vibes are high, the team is great, and it’s promising to be the greatest season Thunder fans have ever experienced.

All while Shai is actively in the lab working to make himself even better. Make this team even better.

Because I’m confident at some point this season, the doors to that lab are going to slide open, smoke is going to billow out of the room with a green haze in the background, and an organ is going to be playing from somewhere, as Shai comes into view with a maniacal look on his face.

And he’ll be saying, “Eureka! I’ve done it.” 

“I’ve become unbeatable”

But for now, let’s just relax.

Let’s enjoy this team, enjoy this ride, and relish in the fact that the Thunder are trying to do something special.

Let it rip, Shai. Let it rip.