During the 2020-21 season, Thunder guard Shai Gilgius-Alexander had one of the most efficient offensive runs of any player in the NBA.
Not only did he average 23.7 points per game, but he did so while shooting 50.8% from the floor, 41.8% from the deep, and 80.8% from the free throw line. The only other players to achieve this feat were Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Zach LaVine, scoring 20 points per game.
Gilgius-Alexander was one of only 43 players who scored at least 20 points per game last season, six of whom were 22 years old or younger.
Keeping this in mind, he had high hopes this season. After signing a five-year, $172 million maximum rookie contract extension, Gilgius-Alexander is under contract until age 29. This would mean that he also would not give up his restricted free agency until after the 2026-27 season.
However, his 2021-22 campaign got off to a slow start after signing this new deal. During the first 43 games of the season, he averaged only 22.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds. His efficiency was lower than the first season, shooting 42.4% from the floor, 27.8% beyond the arc and 81.1% from the free throw line.
From there, his ankle hurt and he missed several weeks of action. Everything changed when he returned.
Gilgius-Alexander has been on fire ever since he went on the floor again. He has scored 33.3 points, 6.7 assists and 6.0 boards per competition in his last six matches. During that stretch, he shot 56.6% from the floor, 36.0% from the deep, and 78.9% from the charity stripe. He has scored 30 or more points in five of his last six matches.
AND 1 pic.twitter.com/T4pp38l43j
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) March 5, 2022
"It's becoming very common," said Thunder coach Marc Diignault about Gilgius-Alexander's recent 30-point games.
It is worth noting that his increase in productivity came during a stretch in which Thunder rookie Josh Giddy was not on the court due to injury. However, that backcourt pairing shouldn't be a concern for the front office going forward. As with any emerging pairing, there is an adjustment period as they learn to play together. Gilgius-Alexander's increased play without Giddy on the court over the past two weeks doesn't mean one is better without the other.
However, the duty of handling the ball may be too much to move forward in the hands of the giddy. Degnault mentioned this after the All-Star break, mentioning that they were going to begin to feature Giddy more often down the stretch of the season than planned.
this duo 💙🧡@joshgiddey ➡️ @shaiglalex pic.twitter.com/1pzDI3KKdn
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 25, 2022
With Gilgius-Alexander scoring so skillfully of late, playing some off-balls as a scorer can actually work out well in the long run.
“Josh was obviously really good over the last few weeks. Me as a player, I don’t want to hinder it at all,” Gilgius-Alexander said on his return. “I want to be one of the best teams in the league. I know who we want to be very soon, you have got to have a lot of players who can play with the ball."
Gilgius-Alexander is the face of the franchise and the leader of the team despite being just 23 years old.
opening it up ☔️☔️@shaiglalex | @tre2mann3 pic.twitter.com/hAcWWBH4Yh
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) February 26, 2022
"I am the leader of the group in the position I am in now," he said in January.
His teammate Darius Bazley confirmed the lead, saying he has been helping the young roster on and off the floor.
"He's becoming a good leader, talking to people, pulling people to the side, he leads by example," Bajale said.
While he got off to a slow start in the 2021-22 season, Shai Gilgius-Alexander has been playing at superstar level of late.