Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is putting together another dominant campaign, yet his heavy usage could become a worry as the year wears on. He is carrying a 32.7 percent usage rate, far above any teammate. Ajay Mitchell checks in second on the roster at 24.0 percent.
Among all NBA players, SGA ranks fifth in usage trailing Luka Dončić 36.6, Jaylen Brown 35.4, Giannis Antetokounmpo 35.4, and Joel Embiid 34.5. Embiid’s figure is less meaningful early on given he has appeared in only six games while Doncic and Brown have seen their numbers rise with other stars sitting out.
The Thunder funnel the offense through Gilgeous-Alexander more than most teams do with any single player. The key question is whether he can endure that workload for an entire season.
Gilgeous-Alexander closed last season with a 33.6 percent usage across 76 games which placed him fourth league wide. That heavy burden did not prevent the Thunder from winning the NBA title.
Still, the cumulative strain of such minutes and responsibilities cannot be ignored. Durability has not been an issue for SGA; he has logged at least 68 appearances in each of the last three seasons and at 27 years old he is not near any age-related decline.
Another factor working in the Thunder’s favor is how often he has been spared late minutes this season. So far he has been on the floor for only nine fourth quarters out of the team’s 20 games. Oklahoma City has enjoyed many comfortable leads, allowing its star to rest down the stretch.
Through this stretch Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 32.9 points on 54.5 percent shooting overall and 42.3 percent from three. He is also contributing 6.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
To date the high usage has not produced negative effects. Expectations are that SGA will continue operating at an elite level. That said the Thunder must monitor his minutes and the role he plays in the offense carefully.
Injuries are a constant in the NBA and the last thing a team aiming for sustained contention needs is for its chief playmaker to miss significant time. The franchise’s championship ambitions would be far harder to realize without their guiding star on the floor.
The Thunder eventually closed out the Phoenix Suns after a back and forth night. Oklahoma City rode a third quarter surge to a 15 point lead only to see Phoenix fight back and narrow the gap to one. That sequence forced Gilgeous-Alexander into the fourth quarter a rare sight this season but he answered decisively.
A slow start left him with four points in the first quarter on 1 of 6 shooting from inside the arc but he reached 12 at halftime along with three assists and a rebound. Then he flipped a switch.
He finished the game with 37 points three rebounds eight assists and one steal in 36 minutes. In the final seven minutes he posted 15 points two assists and a steal while missing a single shot going 4 of 5 from the field and 2 of 2 from long range. He buried a step back three and a side step triple and celebrated with visible passion toward the bench.
Postgame he described the outburst as pure excitement and an expression of the competitive moment nothing more.
Gilgeous-Alexander now leads the league in clutch time scoring at 9.4 points per game while shooting 50 percent in those moments. He also averages an assist and ranks plus six in clutch situations which sits sixth among NBA players and trails two teammates Chet Holmgren and Lu Dort. That figure is notable given the Thunder have played the sixth most clutch minutes in the league with 48 such appearances.
The Supermax guard continues to establish himself as perhaps the best closer in the sport and his work is reflected in Oklahoma City holding a 19 and 1 record.
