Will Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Continue 3-Point Trend?

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander incrase his 3-point volume in the preseason and converting at an encouraging rate. Will this trend continue in the regular season? The NBA MVP candidate explains the change.

Oct 17, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) runs down the court after scoring against the Atlanta Hawks during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Oklahoma City has a clear mission this season: Shoot more 3's. The Thunder were the best team in basketball a year ago by percentage, though their volume ranked them No. 16 in the NBA in attempts per game.

Bench boss Mark Daigneault has harped on the importance of his team launching more triples during teh 2024-25 campaign which Oklahoma City is marked as contenders. The reigning coach of the year mainly points the finger toward rising star Jalen Williams and key rotational player Aaron Wiggins, but the message has trickled down to each player.

One of the biggest show stoppers from beyond the arc in the preseason was OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has a newly worked jump shot that is visionally more fluid and faster. That success rate has upticked as well, turning in 70 percent from 3-point land, including 4-for-4 on catch-and-shoot looks, opportunities which were rare a season ago.

"Every summer, I go into it trying to get better. There's always something you can do. Always an area. You're never going to be a perfect basketball player," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "I wanted to use the preseason to try to implement my work over the summer. Try to transfer it into the game. I think I did an OK job at that."

It feels critical to mix in more triples for Gilgeous-Alexander who is the best mid-range scorer in the league and pressures the rim with the best of them. Being able to stop-and-pop 3's keeps the defense reeling and allows the sperstar to continue to evolve and improve.

"Just for fun. A couple of summers ago, I shot mad mid-ranges just for fun. Some stepbacks a couple of summers ago just for fun," Gilgeous-Alexander said on his motivation. "Every summer, I want to become a more complete basketball player and I add stuff to my game. That's the root of it all."

Given the comments from Gilgeous-Alexander following Sunday's Thunder practice, it feels safe to assume the Thunder superstar will continue to hoist up triples - A year ago, he shot just 3.6 a game and now seems poised to up that volume thanks to his shot and the chances his teammates can set him up with within the flow of the offense.

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