Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has spent the last three seasons at the center of everything Oklahoma City does, and the Thunder don’t seem eager to move him off that spot anytime soon.
That makes sense. Even with a deep roster and more than a few high-end pieces around him, Oklahoma City almost certainly doesn’t win an NBA championship without SGA. He’s been the engine behind the Thunder’s rise, and the numbers back that up.
Since 2024, Gilgeous-Alexander has ranked among the NBA’s top four in usage rate every year. Basketball Reference defines usage percentage as “an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor.”
In 2023-24, when the Thunder won 57 games and captured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the first time since 2013, Gilgeous-Alexander posted a 32.8 usage rate, good for third in the league. Luka Doncic led the NBA at 36, Giannis Antetokounmpo was second at 33, and Gilgeous-Alexander followed after averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds and two steals per game while shooting 53.5% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point range. He also finished second in MVP voting.
The next season, his workload climbed even higher. Gilgeous-Alexander’s usage jumped to 34.8, again the third-best mark in the league behind only LaMelo Ball and Antetokounmpo.
He responded with 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, five rebounds and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.5% from deep. Oklahoma City rolled to 68 wins and its first NBA title, and Gilgeous-Alexander picked up MVP and Finals MVP honors along the way.
Last season, the usage dipped a bit to 33.4, which still ranked fourth in the NBA. Doncic finished first again at 38.1, with Jaylen Brown and Kawhi Leonard ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander.
Looking ahead to 2026-27, there’s no real sign the Thunder will ask him to do dramatically less. He’s still the focal point, and that won’t change overnight.
At the same time, a few factors could nudge the number down slightly. Jalen Williams is set to return, Ajay Mitchell keeps improving, and Oklahoma City has other players on the roster who need more touches. That could trim SGA’s usage a little.
But only a little. In Oklahoma City, the ball still starts with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In Other News...
Aday Mara Just Gave Thunder Fans A Reason To Look Again
Aday Mara has given the Thunder a small but encouraging glimpse of what might be coming next. The recent No. 12 overall pick for Oklahoma City stood out for Spain in a FIBA World Cup Qualifiers game, showing improved activity around the rim and a level of physicality that should matter to a team looking for young frontcourt help. For a rookie still in the early stages of his NBA journey, any sign of growth on an international stage is worth noting, especially with training camp approaching.
Spain did not come away with the result it wanted against Greece, but Maras energy was one of the brighter takeaways from the night. The Thunder are still approaching his outlook with the kind of caution that usually comes with a first-year player, yet performances like this are why there remains some optimism about how he could fit when Oklahoma City gets back to work. [Read more 🡒]
Ajay Mitchell May Hold One Key To The Thunders Repeat Push
Ajay Mitchells rise was one of the quieter wins of Oklahoma Citys season, a breakout second year that turned the 24-year-old into a trusted sixth man and a real part of the Thunders title formula. He averaged 13.6 points, 3.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds, and after missing part of the previous season and the playoffs with a soleus strain, he still managed to cement himself as a reliable piece in the rotation.
Now the Thunder are asking for more. With the roster changing around him, Mitchell looks poised for a bigger offensive load, and his offseason work has been centered on sharpening the outside jumper that could help open up his game. For a team trying to repeat, his next step may be less about surprises and more about whether he can turn last years breakout into something even more valuable. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Face One Chet Holmgren Dilemma They Can't Ignore
The Thunder spent the offseason making their center room deeper and more complicated, a sign of how much the organization values having options around Chet Holmgren. Isaiah Hartenstein is back, Aday Mara arrived in the draft, and Thomas Sorber is entering the mix after a lost year, giving Oklahoma City a group that looks built as much for the future as for the present.
Mark Daigneault now has to sort out how those minutes get divided without shortchanging development or sacrificing the kind of stability a contender wants from the middle of the floor. Holmgrens versatility makes him the swing piece in all of it, and the Thunder are clearly preparing to rotate through several looks while figuring out which combinations can survive the regular season and which ones make the most sense long term. [Read more 🡒]