Jalen Williams drops scary Shai Gilgeous-Alexander statement
The 2024-25 NBA regular season is right around the corner, and a team might not have produced more headlines than the Oklahoma City Thunder.
All eyes are set on the Bricktown boys as the expectations cast by the offseason continue to mount. It will be highly intriguing to watch the team respond to the loud noise of the NBA world, especially considering the amount of youth on the roster.
Fortunately, training camp and the preseason have set the tone and the correct mindset to tackle the season. From players increasing their communication on the court to staying late after practices, the makings of a contender are crystal clear.
It all starts from the top
Everything comes back on the shoulders of superstar point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. While the Thunder loaded up in talent over the layoff and arguably have the deepest roster in the league, the pressure to deliver is always on the team’s best player.
Shai, while only 26 years old, is the clear sachem. And when you consider that he is entering the apex of his NBA prime, suddenly, the expectations rise even more. No. 2 has established himself as a workaholic and the quintessential example of what it takes to speed toward stardom. With multiple players under him looking to take a quantum leap, SGA is here to lead by example.
“I mean, he is shooting it like literally right now,” said Jalen Williams of Shai’s improving 3-pointers. He shoots it every day, something that he probably shot all summer. You can even tell that, in the Olympics, it was something that he was working on. It’s just a dedication thing [and] something that he has understood is an available shot for him.”
Many feel that a consistent perimeter shot only stops Gilgeous-Alexander from becoming unguardable. Last season, he converted a middle-of-the-pack 35.3% on 3.6 tries per game from long range. The goal is for the guard to get closer to where he was in the 2020 season when he sank over 41% of his outside shots on a remarkable 4.9 attempts per game, albeit in a season in which he played just 35 games.
While the Thunder boasts a plethora of long-range snipers, SGA, as the No. 1 facilitator, can help open up even more for himself and his teammates by raising his percentage a few ticks and taking closer to four threes per game. That, paired with his ingenuity in the midrange, is a simple formula for more significant success.
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