The Oklahoma City Thunder are currently the number-one team in the Western Conference. A team consisting mainly of young players in the starting lineup with barely any playoff experience is heading into the postseason as the team to beat in the West. So, who is the main catalyst for the OKC? JJ Redick talks about the leader of the Thunder squad, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and what makes him so good.
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JJ Redick recently had former NBA player turned sports analyst Tim Legler on The Old Man and the Three podcast. While talking to Legler, Redick went on to touch upon the Thunder squad and the engine that has been driving them past other teams.
Tim Legler and JJ Redick discussed how the Oklahoma City Thunder would perform in the playoffs as the number-one seed. Legler was intrigued as to how this young Thunder squad would fair off against teams with playoff experience.
But JJ Redick was confident in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his offensive skills on the floor, claiming he had a counter for almost any and every type of defense thrown at him by opposing teams.
“I am so fascinated and intrigued by how he is going to play in the playoffs. I think one of the key developments to his offensive game has been the development of the counter. This motherf**ker has a counter for everything now. And we talk all the time about players with no holes in their game. I don’t think Shai has a hole in his game, right?”
Redick went on to praise Gilgeous-Alexander’s game and the levels he had to it. The former Duke sharpshooter took into consideration the healthy percentage with which SGA has been shooting threes. He has more than a decent mid-range game and his ability to drive to the rim with ease.
Redick also talked about the fact that Shai can generate free throws by drawing fouls and also credited his post-up game whenever he got the chance. There hasn’t been much argument in the fact that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is special. The Kentucky college product is second in the league in scoring, averaging 30.8 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game, as per Statmuse.
He is also shooting a very healthy clip, with his true shooting percentage coming up to a whopping 64.2%. Not to mention the fact that the 25-year-old is in the top five in MVP voting this year as well, sitting confidently in the second spot, right behind Nikola Jokic, per NBA.com.
Thunder teammates talk about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a special talent and has been the leader of this young Oklahoma City Thunder squad. No doubt that the Thunder have some great pieces to build around for the team’s future. But Shai has been at the center of this developing squad, coming in clutch whenever his team needs some scoring and also leading them past some great veterans in the league. Chet Holmgren once talked about SGA’s leadership skills, as seen in the embed below.
Jalen Williams also praised Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the infectious nature he brings along with him along with being extremely competitive in team practices as well.
“Yeah, he’s super competitive and our team doesn’t really like that…Our practices are really competitive, so it’s always fun to practice but yeah, he is overly competitive. He’s probably still in there shooting.”
Williams talks about SGA being an absolute gymrat, spending most of his time in the gym, working on his game. So, it’ll be interesting to see how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fairs off in the playoffs and how far he can take this Thunder team in this hardened Western Conference.
