Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Speaks on Embracing a More Off-Ball Role

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is going to make playing with other star talents easy for the Thunder.

The way the Oklahoma City Thunder has built its team, there are four players with All-Star potential. Only one player, though, has actually earned those stripes in his career. Shai Gileous-Alexander is the oldest player of the four with All-Star potential, as Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren and Josh Giddey are the other three players. 

Of course, this will be year three for Giddey, year two for Williams and the first year Holmgren has been healthy and playing regular season basketball, though he was a part of the 2022 Thunder draft class. 

This is a young team, but each of those guys has star potential and more than enough time to reach it. It'll be hard for each of the four to reach that pinnacle, though. It's not going to be because Gilgeous-Alexander, the First Team All-NBA player, gets in their way, though.

Gilgeous-Alexander understands that he's going to have to embrace a more off-ball role to allow each of those players to grow, furthering the potential for the Thunder to compete for a championship.

“The best teams that have played the game, the teams that have won the most games, most championships play together," Gilgeous-Alexander said to local media on Sunday (via Clemente Almanza). 

The way the Thunder approaches the game on both sides of the ball, the team promotes playing together and letting everyone eat. They did so last season, and this isn't particularly a new thing for Gilgeous-Alexander or the team, but rather being brought into the spotlight given the plethora of young talent on the team. 

“I don't know if you saw The Last Dance documentary, but there’s a point in Michael Jordan’s career where he had to learn the triangle offense and playing (without) the ball in his hands 24/7. So if Michael Jordan has to do it, I definitely have to do it,” Gilgeous-Alexander continued.

Using Jordan as an example proves that Gilgeous-Alexander not only is willing to do whatever the team needs him to do but also wants to win a championship with this team. 

What Gilgeous-Alexander said on Sunday echoes what Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said on Saturday during his media scrum. 

"He wants to win," Daigneault said. "If your individual success inhibits other players from becoming successful, it ultimately holds your team back. He’s not a guy that does that.”

Gilgeous-Alexander being a superstar while also holding this mentality perfectly exemplifies what this team is all about. Daigenault and the staff have laid out a culture and the players, from top to bottom, have bought in.

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