Helping Hands: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Growing as a Facilitator

SGA is hitting new heights as a passer.

A lot was made about Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigneault’s announcement that Josh Giddey would be used more as an initiator earlier this season.

The immediate reaction was questions of whether this meant Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would become the secondary ball-handler, whether he could cut it as an off-ball player and what the long-term outlook of the Thunder backcourt was.

Giddey has since been sidelined for OKC’s last 14 games with a hip injury. It remains to be seen whether the duo plays together again this season, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any development in them working together as a backcourt.

Giddey is just one of eight Thunder players sidelined currently, meaning the team is playing shorthanded with a rotation largely comprised of G League regulars. That hasn’t stopped Gilgeous-Alexander, if anything it has forced his hand into improving on parts of his game.

With the Thunder as shorthanded as they are teams have been afforded the opportunity to create a wall around the basket, forcing players other than SGA to hit shots in order to win.

He seems to have taken that challenge to heart. Not only that he can score no matter how many players are in the paint, but to show teams that he can get others involved to create points.

In the 13 games SGA has played since Giddey went down with injury he has averaged 7.3 assists per night, good for ninth in the NBA over that stretch. His expected assists paint an even clearer picture at 13.5 per game.

This hasn’t hindered his scoring either. If anything it’s made him harder to guard than ever. SGA is averaging 30.4 points per game over the same stretch — the highest mark of his career, showing he is figuring out how to score and facilitate at a high level simultaneously.

When Giddey returns there will certainly be some rust — both in his game and in partnership with SGA — but Gilgeous-Alexander’s growth as a facilitator and passer should ease the burden on Gieddey as marks his way back. 

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