Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: OKC Thunder Roster 'Like a Family'
The Oklahoma City Thunder had an incredibly successful season, seeing a 16-win jump from the 2021-22 season. In that, there were plenty of on-court measures that could be brought to attention that helped the leap.
However, one underrated aspect of the team's first postseason appearance of the rebuild is the roster playing with a level of buy-in and togetherness throughout the season.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about what he was most proud of at the conclusions of the season. His response?
"The relationships," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "The relationships we've built throughout the season have been great. Obviously, it's a business. You have guys beside you and you can tell they have your best interest and it's like a family."
"It kind of takes the business side out of it and it's easy to just keep it the game you love. I think you enjoy the season and enjoy the travel and all the stuff, it does make it a little bit more fun."
This makes sense, as "together" is a word that can easily be grouped with this Thunder team. Each player was able to play his specific role, and do so in a way that amplified his teammates on the court.
"Honestly, I think we're a bunch of kids to be honest," Gilgeous-Alexander continued. "We're all around the same age. We like to do the same things. Kind of have the same interests. Kind of like a college team. It allowed us to take strides this year."
When head coach Mark Daigneault began his postseason exit interview, he began by thanking the players for their efforts and "commitment level to the program."
"We want to be a team that, from an identity standpoint, you watch us play and you say 'that team competes together,'" Daigneault said. "That's going to be an incredibly important quality and ingredient for our team as we continue to move forward."
Ultimately, one of Daigneault's biggest impacts thus far has been his ability to create the proper environment for these young guys to feel connected while all developing and growing as players simultaneously.
When a team's star player has the same level of buy-in as every other member of the team, a good culture is that much easier to establish. Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the longest-tenured Thunder players on the team and just earned his first All-Star nod alongside an All-NBA First Team appearance.
Looking ahead at next season, the Thunder are going to be implementing a few players into the rotation, with the biggest impact likely being Chet Holmgren.
If the Thunder are going to take another leap as a team, making the addition of Holmgren and other potential rotational guys like Cason Wallace a seamless transition will be key. With the culture established by both the staff and team, implementing those guys on the court will be made easy by their effort off the court.
By every player wanting to see the other player succeed with a result of team success, the Thunder will be able to easily emulate their efforts that saw the team's first postseason success since the beginning of the rebuild.
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