5 things we observed in OKC vs Blazers ft. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's new weapon
I was fortunate enough to attend the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 137-114 win in Portland on Friday night. Despite Oklahoma City’s resounding win, there’s plenty to learn and react to from the game. Let’s discuss five takeaways I had from the game.
5 things we observed in OKC vs Blazers
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s shooting evolution
Gilgeous-Alexander has started his season launching off-dribble threes. It’s a major departure from his mid-heavy status quo. Through his first five games of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 4.6 off-dribble threes per game at 29.7%. Last season, he shot 37% on 2.6 off-dribble threes a night.
Against the Blazers, Gilgeous-Alexander shot six off-dribble threes, canning one of them. Shai’s experimentation has tanked his early season efficiency, with his true shooting down from 63.9% to 56.3% through five games. Gilgeous-Alexander won’t keep shooting 25.6% from three, but how high can he raise the efficiency on this kind of volume?
The Thunder can weather an inefficient Gilgeous-Alexander as he continues repping out off-dribble threes in live games, as the team clearly wants him to do. Oklahoma City can still dominate while their MVP candidate continues evolving his game. That’s a luxury very few teams can afford.
2. The Thunder experiment like no other team
To end the first quarter, the Thunder trotted out a, well; unique lineup. Mark Daigneault has shown his willingness to tinker and experiment, this time conjuring a five-guard lineup with rookie guard Dillon Jones as its nominal five.
That lineup, consisting of Jones, fellow rookie Ajay Mitchell, Alex Caruso, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Cason Wallace, closed the final 3:37 of the first frame at a +1. Jones, who played center on defense at Weber State, checked Donovan Clingan and walled up at the rim on a few occasions.
Plenty of NBA coaches are rigid in their ways. Some are notorious for stubbornly restricting young players. OKC’s reigning coach of the year doesn’t fit in those boxes and his creativity could pay dividends down the line.
3. Scoot Henderson’s performance was inconsistent
The 2023 third overall pick will hope to improve on his disappointing rookie campaign this year. He’s been better this season, but still well below an impactful NBA player. Against the Thunder, Henderson tallied eight points (3/8), five assists, three boards and two turnovers.
OKC’s top-ranked defense presented a formidable challenge, especially given their willingness to leave Henderson open from the perimeter. He forged some strong drives, overwhelming defenders with his strength to finish.
Henderson didn’t have his best showing on Friday, but he’s sustaining slight improvement early in the season. Continuing to play slower and make sound decisions as he did tonight will help him thrive going forward.
4. Ajay Mitchell is a quality rotation guard
Mitchell, a second-round pick in this past draft, has carved himself a rotation slot early in his Thunder career. He scored eight points in his 17 minutes of playtime against Portland, showcasing his complementary guard skillset.
With the ball in his hands, Mitchell pressures the rim with his elite driving skill. He’s crafty enough to score at the rim and kick out to teammates, perfectly fitting OKC’s drive-and-kick, decision-centric offense.
Mitchell’s quick ball movement popped out even when he wasn’t scoring or racking up assists. His willingness to morph to fit his team’s system paired with his on-ball creation chops should lend to a successful NBA career.
5. Deandre Ayton gave Chet Holmgren problems
Despite the blowout loss, Deandre Ayton won the center battle, at least on the offensive end. Holmgren pitched one of his worst outings in some time, fouling four times in 18 minutes, notching six points on three shots.
Holmgren only grabbed one rebound as compared to Ayton’s five. Some matchups still present some trouble for the still-elite Holmgren. Ayton’s 14 points came on post-up buckets and putbacks, often over Holmgren.
Chet tallied five blocks, still managing to impact the game at an elite level on the defensive end despite his struggles with Ayton. He walled off the rim all night, shutting down drives and shots at the bucket. Portland shot 4/13 (30.8%) in the paint with Holmgren on the floor. Players like Ayton will present hurdles for Holmgren who will continue to blossom into a superstar center.
Stats via Synergy, PivotFade, Dunks and Threes and Basketball Reference