The predictability of their offense has been one of the biggest criticisms leveled at the Oklahoma City Thunder in recent seasons. While Jalen Williams’s emergence has opened the door to more scoring options and the additions of Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso help address other gaps, the coaching staff has given their biggest star some extra homework.
Head coach Mike Daigneault has asked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to make the outside shot a regular part of his game to expand his offensive repertoire. With this, the guard is now in his fifth consecutive season as the player who drives to the rim the most (drives) and only James Harden is running more isolation plays. That’s why the Thunder want him to extend his range and become a weapon from beyond the arc.
“It’s really fun,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, according to reporter Marc J. Spears. “The process of improving and adding something is the best feeling for me. When all is said and done, I want to be a basketball player with no holes in my game.”
So far, Shai is sticking to the plan: he’s attempting 6.3 three-pointers per game, a career high. Still, he’s converting only two of those attempts, which keeps his long-range accuracy at a modest 32.6%. This season, the Canadian international has topped double digits in three-point attempts in four games. On November 19 against the San Antonio Spurs, he sank five, though his personal record goes back to February 24, 2021, when he hit six, also against the Texas franchise.
