25-under-25: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander started from the bottom, now he’s here

After an offseason trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will have a chance to show the full breadth and depth of his talent.

Young basketball talent is liquid, taking the shape of its container.

For Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, this season is going to be all about exploring the edges of his new on-court home with the Thunder.

Gilgeous-Alexander started 73 games for the Clippers as a rookie, making an impression with his solid defense and understated offensive contributions. Overshadowed by the snarling defensive aggression of Patrick Beverley, the lilting bucket-getting of Lou Williams and the thunderous rim-rolls of Montrezl Harrell, Gilgeous-Alexander quietly averaged 10.8 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game helping keep the Clippers in the playoff race even after trading away Tobias Harris.

Gilgeous-Alecander’s shooting percentages were surprisingly solid, given that the reliability of his jumper was the biggest question mark on his prospect scouting report, but the context played a big role. He made 36.7 percent of his 3-pointers but he the NBA’s player tracking statistics classified him as being open or wide-open on 96 percent of his attempts. He made over 60 percent of his shots in the restricted area and nearly two-thirds of his attempts were unassisted, but he was usually playing off of his teammates and the threat of their offensive skill sets. Gilgeous-Alexander certainly flashed the potential to be a primary initiator on offense but he rarely functioned in that role as a Clipper.

In Los Angeles, his container was a graduated cylinder — a basic shape that did more to illuminate the bare volume of his basketball potential than any other quality.

That will not be the case this season as the offseason trade brought him to Oklahoma City pushes into the void left by Russell Westbrook, one of the highest-usage players in NBA history. Sure, the Thunder will also have Dennis Schroder, Chris Paul and Danilo Gallinari on the roster next season but, with an eye towards the future, all three will likely be aggressively shopped and there is no incentive for any of that trio to be lavished with opportunity they way Gilgeous-Alexander should be.

A lack of structure can certainly be detrimental to a young player — pushing them into responsibilities they aren’t yet prepared to assume. Asking a player to be a bit of everything sometimes means they end up not doing anything. But Gilgeous-Alexander now has more than 2,000 meaningful minutes to fall back on, the experience working on nuanced skills in a lower-leverage environment. He’s had a chance to be a role player and been successful. If the Clippers had simply rolled over the same roster, or even landed Kawhi without George, the path forward for Gilgeous-Alexander would have simply been playing the same role under more pressure.

Now, the basketball universe is opening itself to him. His path may still lead him towards a complementary outcome, utilizing his versatility to augment the talents of another yet-to-be-acquired star (and the Thunder will certainly have about a dozen bites at that hypothetical apple). But we will also see Gilgeous-Alexander get the opportunity to do more and potentially be more.

This year is about the games where gets to take 15 or more shots (something he did just seven times last year). It’s about the key offensive possessions in a close game where he gets to have the ball in his hands and be the decision-maker (he posted clutch usage and assist rates of 14.5 and 14.6 percent last year, respectively). It’s about taking charge of both his own future and the ways in which his basketball talent can help shape the futures of teammates like Hamidou Diallo (21 years old), Terrance Ferguson (21), Justin Patton (22), Luguentz Dort (20), Darius Bazley (19) and whoever else the Thunder add with their six gagillion future draft picks.

This season is about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander exploring the breadth and depth of his talent and, hopefully, figuring out it can take pretty much any shape he wants.

The insider’s perspective

by Al Dadson

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a superior ability to create offense and turnovers. On offense he is able to shoot in traffic at a high rate from mid-range or the 3-point line and he can fight through contact when he goes to the lane for easy points. This season it will be exciting to see if he can elevate his game to the next level and average 15-17 points a game.

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