Stiles Points: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Rotation Tweak Could Factor Into NBA Postseason

The Oklahoma City Thunder tweaked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's minutes on Tuesday in a move that could factor into the postseason.

Mar 26, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) / Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder changed superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's rotational pattern. Typically the MVP candidate plays the entire first and third quarters while closing out the second and fourth frames. Against the Pelicans, Gilgeous-Alexander logged just eight minutes in the opening period. 

This rotational tweak actually paid off two-fold for the OKC Thunder on their way to their 50th win of the season, and is a testament to Mark Daigneault’s creativity. 

Gilgeous-Alexander uncharacteristically struggled in the opening frame going 1-for-3 in those eight minutes while his rising star teammate Jalen Williams posted ten points as did Josh Giddey on his way to a fantastic outing. 

Daigneault trusting Williams to handle the bulk bucket-getting duties allowed Gilgeous-Alexander, who is nursing a quad injury, to steal some extra rest as the first benefit to this rotational change. 

The max contract guard did not return until the final two minutes of the frame before getting the additional rest between quarters after closing out the frame. 

Aside from the rest, this made sense from a basketball perspective. Herb Jones has routinely given Gilgeous-Alexander fits, one of the few to make life hard on the superstar in the league. Flipping the way the Thunder staggered their star guard’s minutes allowed him to punish weaker Pelican defenders for longer spurts than usual. 

The Thunder’s willingness to adjust, leaning into Williams’ hot start and making life easier on their star, shows another advantage they will have in the postseason. 

While most bench bosses around the association can get stubborn in the playoffs, Daigneault’s willingness to adjust on the fly will benefit Oklahoma City in the long run. 

Stiles Points: 

• Giddey turned in a stellar performance on Tuesday tossing in a career-high five triples against New Orleans. The former sixth overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft produced 25 points, nine rebounds and four assists while shooting 10-for-14 from the floor. After his best game of the season, and a phenomenal game Sunday that saw him hit four triples, Giddey will be tested by the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. A team that has given him some issues as he looks to continue a good month of production.
• Aaron Wiggins did not log a single minute in this game, despite the Thunder originally planning on him playing. “He was live. I just thought with the start we got off to, with the groups that were out there, I just kind of rolled with them. And it kind of drifted him out of rotation and it wasn't necessarily pre-planned. In fact, I was planning on using him but we were in such a good rhythm,” Daigneault said following the Pelicans game. 
• The Thunder logged their eighth 50-win equivalent season on Tuesday, tied for the most in the last 15 NBA seasons. 
• Oklahoma City is now a half-game back of the Denver Nuggets for the top seed in the Western Conference and a full game up on the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Wednesday Denver will be tested by the Suns while the Timberwolves will host the lowly Pistons. 
• The Thunder will open up a two-game home stand Wednesday with the Houston Rockets in town for the second leg of this back-to-back set. 

Song of the Day: Holy Holy by David Bowie.

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