Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Scoring Has Broadened This Season

Gilgeous-Alexander attempts noticeably more 3-pointers than ever before in conjunction with fewer 2-pointers and free throws.

Dec 10, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots over Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and center Dereck Lively II (2) during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks by 14 points Tuesday night to earn a midseason Las Vegas excursion — for Emirates NBA Cup purposes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander maneuvered meticulously through every coverage the Mavericks threw at him, pouring in 39 points on 23 shots from all over the court.

The reigning MVP runner-up made eight mid-range shots on 11 attempts, a productive yet unsurprising performance for one of the league's premier interior scorers. However, his nine 3-point attempts during the game exceeded all 75 (85 including playoffs) outings last season. Gilgeous-Alexander made five of those triples, his most in a game since March 10, 2024, against the Memphis Grizzlies.

He drew his only four free throws of the game on two well-executed first-quarter pump fakes —
catching Quentin Grimes jumping too early and Luka Doncic swiping down his arm on a would-be open layup. The Thunder attempting no free throws in the second half against Dallas did not deter its eventual double-digit win, but that drought underscores a season-long individual and team trend. Oklahoma City has drawn 19.1 free throws per game, only more than the Charlotte Hornets.

Gilgeous-Alexander is attempting his fewest 2-pointers and free throws per game in three seasons while hoisting his most 3-pointers per game since entering the NBA — that inverse relationship is not a coincidence. Still, he has maintained an identical 56.7% effective field-goal percentage to last season and a slightly worse 62.6% true shooting percentage while self-creating 76.5% of all makes.

Gilgeous-Alexander has decreased his relative shot frequency across every 2-point distance compared to last season. He attempted over a quarter of his total shots from 10 to 16 feet in the 2023-24 season, down to 17.2% this year. However, he has converted a career-high 56.5% of 108 attempts from that distance, paired with a career-high 77.4% on 115 rim shots.

Shot Distance	% of FGA Change	FG% Change
0 to 3 feet	-2.0%	+4.3%
3 to 10 feet	-0.6%	-2.0%
10 to 16 feet	-8.8%	+3.5%
16 feet to 3-point line	-0.8%	-4.0%
3-pointers	+12.2%	-1.3%

One trend is transparent through 24 games: For better or worse, Gilgeous-Alexander has expanded his scoring repertoire beyond the 3-point line.

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder play the Houston Rockets in the Emirates NBA Cup semifinals tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. CST. T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights, will host both Cup semifinal matchups and the championship game.

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