Expanding Offense Will be Key for OKC Thunder in Playoffs

Without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's staggering offensive production in his surefire MVP campaign, the Oklahoma City Thunder wouldn't be standing with 54 wins at the top of the Western Conference.

The guard is averaging 32.8 points per game on nearly 53% shooting from the field — taking up a large portion of the Thunder offense. Nearly every possessions runs through him when he's on the floor, whether it be looking to score or to playmake to his teammates.

There's a certain reliance Oklahoma City has on Gilgeous-Alexander — much like any team with a superstar player — to where an off-ngiht from him puts its offense in jepoardy. Opponents in the playoffs will put an emphasis on limiting his production and throwing tough assignments at him, so the possibility of that happening gets more likely than in the regular season.

Deep into the Thunder's hopeful run towards an NBA Finals appearance, the likes of Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren becoming aggressive scorers on offense will be important. Gilgeous-Alexander is still going to be the player the offense runs through, but they'll be expected to step up when he's hounded defensively.

The Boston Celtics did an excellent job at this in their championship run last year, as neither Jayson Tatum nor Jaylen Brown one-upped each other. They largely had similar production, letting the game flow to whoever's night it might've been.

Oklahoma City has a little bit of a different scenario — not to mention how much depth it has on the bench unit — but still shouldn't look to force anything with its best player. Gilgeous-Alexander is the most desirable option, but sometimes, getting the shot to him isn't going to put the team in the best position to win.

Gilgeous-Alexander's usage rating being as high as it is has helped the Thunder get to this point in thie season, but it might not be sustainable in a playoff setting. Especially as a series gets to six or seven games, fatigue is going to start setting in at times.

Now that Holmgren seems to be getting back to his old self, he should be equipped to take a larger offensive role in the playoffs. As for Williams, the first time All-Star should have no problem either.

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