Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has spent the last few seasons doing just about everything for the Thunder, and that kind of load comes with a price. The reigning MVP has been the engine of Oklahoma City’s rise, but the next step for the team may be asking him to carry a little less.
That idea is rooted in simple basketball logic. Gilgeous-Alexander has posted a usage rate above 30% every year since 2021-22, with that number climbing annually before a slight dip between 2024-25 and 2025-26.
He’s been brilliant in that role, of course. He scores around 30 points a night, defends at a high level and serves as a strong playmaker.
That all-around consistency has powered two straight MVP awards and four consecutive All-NBA First Team selections.
The Thunder have benefited just as much as he has. Gilgeous-Alexander has helped Oklahoma City finish with the West’s No. 1 seed three years in a row, and he was central to the franchise’s first title in 2025. He also took home Western Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP in that run, turning the Thunder from a rebuilding club into a true heavyweight.
But carrying that much offensive responsibility every night can wear a player down. Injuries to his co-stars have forced Gilgeous-Alexander into an especially heavy role over the last two seasons, though Ajay Mitchell’s emergence last year gave him a chance to step back a bit at times. Going forward, the Thunder would benefit from easing some of that on-ball burden and letting Mitchell, Jalen Williams and other capable guards work alongside him and off his gravity.
That shift isn’t just a theory. Gilgeous-Alexander has spent the summer trying to get better away from the ball, and he tested that work in games with the Canadian National Team during FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
Team Canada head coach Geordie Herbert said, "Shai came and said he'd like to play off the ball a little bit more, which is great for us. It's a learning process for him to play off the ball," Herbert added, "We're trying to play him off the ball and on the ball.
Both. I think he's actually tougher to guard off the ball.
There’s a tradeoff here, naturally. A lighter regular-season load could make a third straight MVP harder to reach. But for Oklahoma City, the bigger prize may be keeping its star fresher for the postseason.
After an offseason full of transactions, and with key role players suggesting more pressure could be coming Gilgeous-Alexander’s way, the Thunder may be better off going the other direction. He already called the 2025-26 season a "failure" in his own eyes, and he’s apparently ready to do whatever it takes to get the second ring he wants in 2026-27.
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