Thunder’s First Preseason Game Is Good News For Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Oklahoma City Thunder dropped their first preseason game to the New Orleans Pelicans, 116-110, and the result was encouraging for Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who wasn’t even suited up.

Of course, wins and losses don’t matter in the preseason, which makes this an overall win for the team, because one of the Thunder’s biggest problems is that Gilgeous-Alexander’s impact is limited, even with the stats he puts up, because he’s always double-teamed.

The fix is to add good catch-and-shoot shooters off the ball to complement his game, so when he drives through the paint, someone has to be covered around the perimeter. This aspect of the new Thunder team was very encouraging against the Pelicans.

The Thunder shot 48.5% from three in the loss. Bennett Stirtz went 3-for-6, Kendrich Williams went 3-for-4, and Jared McCain went 4-for-8. If these shooters keep this up for the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander will become even more lethal, and defenses will have to address the perimeter threat.

The San Antonio Spurs and Thunder are both co-favorites to win the NBA Championship, with a rematch in the Western Conference Finals to be expected.

The pieces around Gilgeous-Alexander this year, compared to last year, could be the difference in whether they win or lose that matchup, their toughest opponent yet again on the way to another title.