Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tries to stay targeted

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander spent a number of years in Oklahoma Metropolis as an unheralded scorer on a shedding crew in a small market.

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Then, he improved his protection and have become an All-Star. Then the Thunder stunned the league and began profitable, and Gilgeous-Alexander was named an All-Star once more.

Now, for the primary time in his profession, the Canadian guard isn’t flying underneath the radar. He’s one of many league’s elite gamers on what is anticipated to be certainly one of its greatest groups. He completed second within the league MVP balloting final season because the Thunder earned the highest seed within the Western Convention playoffs.

Gilgeous-Alexander calmly deflected questions on his private objectives and mentioned he and the Thunder will stay targeted, even when others view them in a different way due to their current success.

“It doesn’t change something for us,” he mentioned at media day on Monday. “Our largest focus has been at all times day-to-day and attempting to be higher day by day, attempting to get higher day by day, be higher than we had been yesterday. I feel that’s why we bought to the place we had been final yr, and I feel us not altering that mentality and maintaining that the identical is in our greatest curiosity, and that’s what we’re going to proceed to do.”

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It feels like a mature method, and that is sensible. At 26, Gilgeous-Alexander is now not the younger man. He’s heading into his sixth yr on the crew and is among the many longest-tenured gamers on the roster.

Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned the Thunder by no means apprehensive about outdoors opinions, even after they went 22-50 in 2020-’21 and 24-58 in 2021-’22. He mentioned Oklahoma Metropolis made the leap from reaching the Play-In Event two years in the past to the second spherical of the playoffs final season by staying the course.

Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins mentioned Gilgeous-Alexander has made regular progress on and off the courtroom, and that has accelerated the turnaround.

“Once I got here in, Shai was a do-it kind of chief the place he would present that he was able to being an expert, addressing sure issues that could be happening within the recreation and stuff like that,” Wiggins mentioned. “As we’ve continued to sort of develop and being on the identical crew and stuff, he’s sort of been a little bit bit extra vocal and continued to sort of develop in that management position.”

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Gilgeous-Alexander’s phrases matter, partly, as a result of he places up elite numbers. The primary-team All-NBA choice averaged 30.1 factors, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists per recreation final season. He shot 53.5% from the sector and 87.4% from the free-throw line and tied for the league lead with 150 complete steals.

He continued his dominance on the Olympics. Canada was one of many favorites and went unbeaten in pool play earlier than shedding to France within the quarterfinals. Gilgeous-Alexander nonetheless was named to the Olympics All-Second Crew after averaging 21 factors, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

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“Shai was doing the principle factor, all of the stuff he’s at all times doing on the courtroom,” Lu Dort, Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammate with the Thunder and Canada, mentioned. “To share the courtroom with him representing our nation — I really feel like all of us did our half on representing our nation nicely. It was an incredible expertise for each of us.”

Now that the Thunder’s season has arrived, Gilgeous-Alexander is simply as targeted on the little issues as the large ones. When coaching camp begins Tuesday, the Thunder will formally begin attempting to assist mix two key new gamers — middle Isaiah Hartenstein and guard Alex Caruso — right into a well-established group throughout coaching camp.

“Particularly this time, that is like, we’re bonding, ensuring we’re doing issues collectively,” Gilgeous-Alexander mentioned. “Particularly with our new additions, we wish to make certain we preserve and hold our camaraderie. Little issues like which are on my thoughts proper now.”

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