Possessions like this one may have colored your perception of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first-round win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t even the primary ball handler, he was instead a member of the team. Supporting cast for Jaylen Williams as he tries to generate offense from the spread pick-and-roll:
However, in Williams’ desperation, he made a pass out of an awkward situation and the ball somehow found its way to Gilgeous-Alexander. He tries to take a shot at Herb Jones, but with the shot clock running down and facing a tough defender, Gilgeous-Alexander misfires the shot.
And on the surface, Gilgeous-Alexander appeared to fall short of the standards he set for himself during the regular season against the Pelicans. Don’t get me wrong. He remained strong, averaging 27.3 points, six rebounds, and five assists in the four-game sweep, with shooting splits of 52.2% on 2-pointers, 29.4% on 3-pointers, and 72.7% on 3-pointers. With free throws.But his Scoring efficiency has decreased significantly. His true shooting percentage went from 63.6% in the regular season to 55.3% against the Pelicans.
Does Gilgeous-Alexander need to be better in that regard as he prepares to face a tougher test in the form of: dallas mavericks? Almost a certainty considering he will be facing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, two of the greatest offensive talents. Anyone the Pelicans played against.
But his first-round stats don’t necessarily tell the full story of Gilgeous-Alexander’s impact offensively.
His performance in those four games effectively kept him as the Thunder’s primary scoring source, but his usage rate was 33.6% through four games, compared to his regular season mark of 32.8% ( 3rd place in the year). (second only to Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the league) — Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t just dive headfirst into ball pounding and direct isolation.
What often gets lost in isolated possession is the work teams and players do up front to maximize their one-on-one matchups, and the downstream effects it can have on opposing defensive units. . Gilgeous-Alexander certainly did his part to get as many favorable matchups as possible. That meant finding a way to keep his main defenders as far away from him as possible.
Both Jones and Naji Marshall were assigned to guard Gilgeous-Alexander. The justification for Jones doesn’t need a deep explanation. He is one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders and a favorite to be named to the All-Defensive First Team. Marshall is tall (6’7) and has a long wingspan of 7’1, making him an ideal replacement for Jones when he is off the floor.
An easy solution to removing either Jones or Marshall from Gilgeous-Alexander would be to look for a favorable matchup, a lesser defender, and force the switch through setting up a ball screen. The Thunder are building that into their plans. However, while partially effective, the mechanical nature of creating mismatches like this can make the strategy predictable and somewhat boring.
But the following possession was neither predictable nor boring. Still, it came from Gilgeous-Alexander trying to get out of a difficult game.Not just as a ball handler, but as someone. away from the ball:
Gilgeous-Alexander’s back screen on Jose Alvarado was particularly noteworthy, and it caused Marshall to switch off. The ball was immediately sent to him, and with the prospect of his diminutive teammate having to guard Gilgeous-Alexander on the island, Larry Nance Jr. hit a double.
This triggers a swing-swing sequence. A pass to wing Jaylin Williams followed by another swing to corner Kayson Wallace. Wallace attacks closeouts and puts pressure on the Pelicans’ defense with his touch in the paint, finding Isaiah Joe, one of the most dangerous basketball shooters in human history, on the opposite wing.
Gilgeous-Alexander may not have been tallying stats that included scores, assists, and even non-countable events like hockey assists, but his initial screening that forced a mismatch was what sparked the game. The 3-point shot mentioned above, and other similar situations against the Pelicans, may have also flown under the radar.
Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t get enough credit for the blue-collar work he did away from the ball that allowed him to create an efficient offense for both himself and his teammates. His off-ball contributions shouldn’t be confused with, say, the amount of off-ball work Stephen Curry has put in over the past decade. But there are also similarities inspired by the greatest guards of this era.
One example of this is taking advantage of defenders’ passivity, sometimes outright refusal, to distance themselves from Gilgeous-Alexander, who sets up screens on his teammates. The rationale behind this scenario is that if Gilgeous-Alexander’s defenders don’t want to get away from him at all costs, they can screen teammates for open jumpers from the perimeter or open cutting lanes toward the rim. The idea is that it will produce .
An example of the former against the Pelicans included Chet Holmgren, who has the advantage of being a stretch five with a virtually unblockable jumper. Whenever Gilgeous-Alexander found himself near Holmgren handling the ball in transition, he automatically knew what to do.
When Gilgeous-Alexander sets a ball screen, he typically does one of two things. He may “ghost” it. So instead of overtly putting up a screen, you fake it and run as fast as you can into the open space around you. Again, going back to the aforementioned reluctance to move away from Gilgeous-Alexander, this could cause confusion at the point of attack, and it could lead to confusion at the point of attack, as well as his ball-handling teammate (Jaylen Williams). (many), creating open driving lanes.
Whenever Gilgeous-Alexander decides to set up a solid ball screen, it serves the purpose of targeting a specific opponent and switching off either Jones or Marshall, or both. This is a strategy that smart offensive schemes utilize to determine matchups. Instead of doing something predictable (setting a ball screen on the primary), why not have your primary start with the ball and set a ball screen instead?
If your superstar wants to set up a ball screen to help with the ball, open up the possibility for other types of off-ball screens (back screens, pin-down screens, etc.) to force the opposing team to choose. Why not try it? From not just one but multiple poisons?
This is when things could turn around for both the superstar and the coach who utilizes him. Along with motivation comes the ability to adapt to multiple situations, multiple lines of sight, and multiple plans from the other person.
One example is novel ideas such as placing Gilgeous-Alexander in the middle of the zone to counter the Pelicans’ zone rather than a typical big man. So when you have Gilgeous, Nance has to be his equal – Alexander decides to pull the ball out to the perimeter.
These are nuances that remain veiled under a curtain of ignorance when Gilgeous-Alexander is discussed. Both praise and criticism of his game often focus on what he accomplished on the ball: his change of pace, his prolific scoring ability, his silky-smooth jumper, and his ability to draw fouls and drive to the basket. The focus has been on ability. He lined up time and time again, much to the chagrin of the aesthetically conscious crowd.It’s time to recognize what he does off the ball and give him the recognition it deserves., Because it was undoubtedly as effective as his magic and talent with the rock in his hands.
Thunder, Doncic, Irving, And the Mavericks will present.. They’ll definitely throw a lot of coverage and personnel at him to try and contain him. But Gilgeous-Alexander has proven he’s ready for that challenge, both in the obvious and subtle aspects of his game. And with a superstar willing to put in the effort necessary to maximize the team’s offense, the Thunder’s ceiling is much higher than anyone expected.
