Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s summer work on his off-ball game is still paying off, even with the Thunder’s injury situation forcing the offense into a different shape than anyone expected.
The idea back in the offseason was simple enough: if Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren took on more of the handling load, Gilgeous-Alexander could move around more freely, save energy, and pick his spots. That plan took a hit once Oklahoma City got slammed by injuries in 2026-27, especially with those two sidelined, leaving SGA with far less star support around him.
Even so, the Thunder haven’t stopped using him away from the ball. Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, and even rookie Bennett Stirtz have all taken turns running the offense early in the season, giving Gilgeous-Alexander chances to work without the rock in his hands.
The numbers back up what the eye test has shown. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor recently listed the NBA’s top-seven players by percentage of time spent with the ball, and Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t on it.
That doesn’t mean he’s been quiet. Far from it. With Oklahoma City dealing with all those injuries, most of his scoring has still come on unassisted looks, but his efficiency on off-ball chances has been as sharp as ever in his nine-year career.
Right now, the reigning two-time MVP is hitting 75.0 percent of his attempts off the catch, including an outrageous 87.5 percent from three, while posting a 104.2 effective field goal percentage.
That success traces back to the offseason work, but it also has a lot to do with the attention Ajay Mitchell has been commanding. Since the Thunder’s devastating matchup against the LA Clippers on October 25, Mitchell has emerged as SGA’s clear No. 2, averaging 22.1 points per game on 53.6 percent shooting from the floor.
That kind of production forces defenses to tilt their focus toward Mitchell, and that extra attention has opened cleaner off-ball opportunities for Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s been making teams pay for it.
In Other News...
Thunder Still Face One Hurdle In The All-Star Host Race
With the NBA closing in on Miami as the 2028 All-Star Game host, the leagues next round of bidding is already drawing attention from cities that have been waiting a long time for another turn. Boston, Detroit, Portland and Oklahoma City all fit into that conversation for different reasons, with each market carrying some combination of history, recent upgrades and the kind of arena-and-event logistics the league weighs when it sorts through future weekends.
For Oklahoma City, the interest is obvious. The city has built a strong case as a basketball market, and its place in the All-Star discussion reflects how much the Thunder and the downtown arena have changed the leagues view of the market over time. Still, the path is not simple, and the final decision will depend on more than just enthusiasm or past success. Several factors can tilt the process one way or another, and the Thunders push to land a future All-Star weekend is still working through one important hurdle. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Hot Start Sets Up A Bigger Western Conference Test
After working through the early injury issues, the Thunder have steadied themselves quickly and now sit at 8-2, right where a contender wants to be in the opening stretch of the season. It has been enough to keep Oklahoma City in the mix near the top of the Western Conference, with the Lakers and Spurs also off to strong starts and making the race feel crowded already.
For the Thunder, the bigger picture still points beyond the first few weeks. Their playoff positioning figures to keep shifting as the season settles in, and the roster should look different again once Chet Holmgren is back in the fold. Until then, Oklahoma City is doing what good teams do early: banking wins, staying relevant and giving itself a chance to climb even higher when the West starts to sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Nikola Topics Return Comes With One Early Concern For OKC Fans
Nikola Topics return to game action was always going to come with a careful eye on the bigger picture, and Saturdays G League outing offered the first real glimpse of where that process stands. The Thunders affiliate, the OKC Blue, fell 93-76 to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and slipped to 0-3 in the 2026-27 season, with the offense never finding much rhythm around Topics first-half minutes as he continues working back from offseason back surgery.
The broader concern for Oklahoma City is less about the final score than the way the Blue struggled to create clean looks for long stretches. OKC shot 39% from the field and was ice-cold from deep, a rough backdrop for a player the organization is easing back into action and hoping can steadily regain his feel. For now, the return is underway, but the next step in that ramp-up will matter just as much as the first one. [Read more 🡒]