"There are no days off": NBA skills trainer on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mirroring Kobe Bryant’s tenacity and mentality (Exclusive)
Too early to compare Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s resume to Kobe Bryant.
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s star will play in his first NBA Cup championship game on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks in hopes this foreshadows the beginning of many NBA title runs.
Not too early, however, to compare how both Gilgeous-Alexander and Bryant handled failure. Well before Gilgeous-Alexander secured two NBA All-Star berths, a renowned NBA skills trainer observed Gilgeous-Alexander mirrored the late Lakers’ star in a different way.
Olin Simplis, who has worked with Gilgeous-Alexander since the predraft process in 2018, observed that SGA represented the rare superstar that craved the minutia. So when Gilgeous-Alexander initially struggled with a drill to improve his side-step 3s, he solely focused on refining that drill until he perfected it. That habit reminds Simplis of Bryant, who sometimes devoted part of his intense workouts just on improving his footwork.
“Kobe didn’t get discouraged by a missed shot. He didn’t get discouraged by a mistake,” Simplis told Sportskeeda. “He’s just constantly coming at you for the full 48 minutes. That’s something that I know that’s the mentality that Shai has really honed in on.”
Simplis spoke to Sportskeeda in-depth about how Gilgeous-Alexander mirrors Bryant’s mentality, his case for his regular-season MVP candidacy, the Thunder’s trajectory and defended SGA’s group post-game interviews.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed
How do you put Shai’s season in context to all of his other great seasons?
Simplis: “I may sound like I’m biased. But the Shai that everyone has seen now is the Shai that I saw when he first came out of Kentucky. People tend to forget the impact that he had with the Clippers even as a rookie. In the first round of the playoffs against Golden State [in 2019], he had a couple of really big games. Then when he went to OKC, they did well. For a couple of years, the team wasn’t doing so well. But Shai, in year three, was averaging 23.7 [points [per game]. In year four, he was close to 25 [24.5]. Last year, he was healthy and obviously the team was focusing on winning a little bit more. So he played more games than he did in previous seasons. He has always been a dominant force with how he approaches the game. Now that he has a young nucleus around him that’s pretty talented, everybody is seeing it now because they’re winning. But I don’t think this is anything new.
I went on the record during his draft process [in 2018] making me look like Nostradamus right now. During the draft, I thought he would be the best player in his draft class. He’s a special, special talent. But more importantly how he approaches the game is very unique. There aren’t too many guys that I’ve been around that approaches the game with the work ethic and attention to detail. Every rep in every workout means something to him. There are no days off. There are no plays off. So what we’re seeing is the fruition of all of his hard work. More importantly, they’re winning. I thought he was MVP last year. I honestly thought he should’ve been MVP last year. So he should be a back-to-back MVP. We should go on the best player on the best team. They were the No. 1 seed last year. I definitely think now it’s coming off last year where everybody is witnessing his greatness. The kid is phenomenal. I’m just honored to be a small part of his journey.”
When you’re talking about his approach to the game with his work ethic and attention to detail, what favorite examples capture that?
Simplis: “To be transparent, in the past year, he had gotten engaged and now he’s married. He’s spent a lot more time with his family and in Canada. So we haven’t spent as much time as we had in previous years. But from day one, I thought he would be the best player in the league. He wants to be great. A lot of guys get there and then they’re content. But I saw that from day one in the gym. We were working on certain moves, and he didn’t execute it properly during our morning session. He demanded that we come back in the night and just focus on that until he was able to master it. That was going into his rookie year.
That’s how he approaches the game. You put a challenge in front of him, and he’s going to run through that challenge. He’s going to do it until he owns it. A lot of players that I have dealt with in the past would say, “Let’s move on and let’s do different something different.’ I have worked with some of the best players in the league, and current ones as well. I’ve had certain guys where I’ve tried to make small adjustments that I thought would help them. And I’ve gotten fired. I can go to sleep at night. My goal is to make sure that every player that I touch that we’re as efficient as possible and continue to be great as long as you possibly can. That’s about trying to make the game easier. But I’ve gotten fired my first-ballot Hall-of-Famers because I tried to show them things that they could’ve done more efficiently, and they couldn’t do it. So they say, ‘Let’s do something else’ or I would get a phone call the next day and hear someone else is in the gym with them. But this kid? If you put something in front of him, he’s going to run through it.”
To get some context, what was the specific drill and when did this take place?
Simplis: “We were going into year two or year one. The sidestep that he does now with the way he plants his right leg and separates quickly to get the sidestep 3, he’s always been able to shoot the ball. That is what I really respect about him. So we were creating off the bump, separation 3s. He wasn’t shooting it particularly well. So he wanted to master that. So we took a couple of days. After a couple of days, he owned it. But he wanted to come back that night and spend the entire night just focusing on that one particular move to create space off the dribble into his 3. That’s how he approaches everything. He’s very diligent. He’s going to do two three-a-days. He is just wired differently. I am glad that everyone is seeing it.”
I know you said you’re biased in saying Shai should have won MVP last season. Aside from team record, what gave Shai the edge over the other candidates?
Simplis: “Last year, he was No. 1 in steals (2.0), so he was playing on both sides of the ball. He was the third-leading scorer in the league (30.1) and his clutch points were top-two. He was impacting winning all over the place. If you look at OKC, they don’t have a vet on that team or another All-Star. They will have one with Chet [Holmgren]. But it was Shai and some high-level young talent. He carried and led that group. The culture that they’re building right now is a big part of that. A lot of people made fun of the group post-game interviews. But that’s huge leadership. He makes all of his teammates feel involved and they are involved. That goes a long way. I know certain retired NBA players made fun of it. But that’s something that reflects who he is and how much he wants to win and bring all of his guys together. Even the coach [Mark Daigneault] is a young coach. So they’re all growing together. Shai has carried a lot of weight, and the Western Conference is pretty tough.
Draymond Green also criticized the group interviews, saying, “there's a certain seriousness that it takes to win in this league.” What do you say to that point?
Simplis: “You just keep winning. You just keep winning. Shai said it best in one of his last interviews, ‘At some point, they’ll take them seriously. And it’ll happen really soon.’ You just keep winning.”
How about this first part of the season? What gives Shai the early edge for MVP over the other candidates?
Simplis: “I love that he’s taking more 3s. It loosens up the driving angles for him and spacing. Now you have to guard him beyond the 3-point line. That makes him that much more dominant. I like that he hasn’t fallen to the victim of today’s NBA game with analytics and just relying on 3s. He’s just a force. You can’t name another point guard in the NBA that applies pressure on the defense as much as he does. He shoots eight free throws a game [8.2]. So he’s putting the other opponent in foul trouble. That benefits his team as well. He impacts the game at all levels. Not only is he one of the top steal leaders in the league (6th with 1.9 per game). He’s defending at such a higher clip than I saw him. He’s a two-way player. You have guys like him that carry such a high load offensively and such a high usage rate that they don’t do it on both sides of the ball, not to the level that he’s doing it. He wants to continue to be a good defender. He works in the offseason hard with his strength coach to make sure his body can withstand the full season and all the lateral movement that comes with it. He is so dedicated. It’s such a great thing to see. I’m so proud of him.”
I understand your role changed with him. But did you get to work with him at all this summer?
Simplis: “This offseason, I didn’t see him at all. He had the Olympics [with the Canadian national team]. They had a baby on the way. So this is the first summer I didn’t get a chance to see him.”
Understood. Was there a need to discuss what to focus on this past offseason?
Simplis: “He’s been on the path from day one. In his first four years, we were communicating a lot and working in the offseason. But he knows what he wants. He sets his schedule. Then he gets after it. He’s on that track. Nothing can knock him off. He’s so locked in and engaged. He’s going to keep ascending. He knows what he wants. He comes in every offseason prepared to work. He personally has his own game plan at this point. He’s had a good team around him with his agency [Wasserman]. So it’s a team effort with his strength coach in Toronto. We got him on track. But he was an easy one. From day one, he was engaged and wanted to be great. He didn’t just want to be another basketball player. He wants to be the best. He carries that Kobe mentality. He’s big on Kobe. Everything he attacks and how he carries himself, he’s just a professional.
He’s been that way since day one. You don’t find that in many kids. But he enjoys the league, comes in and work hard and never goes out at night. Everyone has certain vices. But this kid doesn’t club and doesn’t drink. If you say he has a vice, it’s shopping. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing (laughs). He spends time his wife and kids. He’s a family man. With basketball, he does his job with two or three session a day. Then he goes home and spends time with his family. He doesn’t get distracted. He is so focused on being the best basketball player that he can be. He understands it’s a blessing. He doesn’t take any of this for granted at all.”
Speaking of Kobe, when Shai was in LA, he mentioned that he watched a lot of Kobe and AI [Allen Iverson]. What window did you have with Shai’s film study and how he tried to incorporate how Kobe and AI played into his game?
Simplis: “As far as Kobe, I know how relentless he is. Kobe didn’t get discouraged by a missed shot. He didn’t get discouraged by a mistake. He’s just constantly coming at you for the full 48 minutes. That’s something that I know that’s the mentality that Shai has really honed in on. He was like that at Kentucky. He came into Kentucky and they had a really strong recruiting class. He was the sixth guy in that recruiting class, and he didn’t play until two months into the season and that was because someone got hurt. As soon as they got hurt, he didn’t relinquish that spot. He didn’t sit there and pout and say he’s going to transfer. He sat there and worked, worked, worked. As soon as he got his opportunity, he kept the job. He gets drafted by the Clippers [in a draft-day trade from Charlotte] when they had a pretty good backcourt with Avery Bradley and Pat Beverley. They are two defensive gems. Then Shai soon started and never lost that spot. He doesn’t get discouraged. There’s no self doubt. He has the ultimate confidence. He’s not going to run from any adverse situation.
That’s a mindset that I don’t think you can teach, especially today. These kids are transferring and bouncing around so much. When you have a kid like him sitting on the bench, they’re usually looking for an exit. He didn’t. He didn’t feel sorry for himself. He wasn’t mad at [John] Calipari. He just thought, ‘When my time comes, it’s over.’ That says something for an 18 and 19-year-old kid. That’s very, very, very rare. You got 12-year-old kids that if they don’t play the full game, they’re going to a club team down the stretch. It’s such a bad culture that we’re developing in the States. Shai is an international kid [in Canada], so there it is (laughs). He wants to be great. When he was with the Clippers, we were in the gym every night. I’m excited. He’s 26-year-old, and is just getting started. He hasn’t even hit his stride yet. It’s actually scary what this kid is going to be for the upcoming years.”
What does that look like in your mind?
Simplis: “Oh man! When I look at players, I don’t see a ceiling. But for him, I really don’t see a ceiling. What can’t he do? He can post you. He can get to the point. Now he’s shooting the 3-ball. He has all the different finishes. His first step is incredible. The game is just so easy for him. I see him being the face of the NBA. I know guys have looked at Anthony Edwards and Wemby [Victor Wembanyama]. But I think Shai will be the face of the league for some years.
They’re doing this with Chet still being hurt. They’re still first. You look at Lu Dort. He’s phenomenal in his role. Jalen Williams has All-Star capabilities. You look at the starting lineup. You have a bunch of players that play their role exceptionally well. When Chet comes into his own, it’s going to be scary. You have a team with three potential All-Stars that are young and all get along. Shai is leading that mark, and they still have all of those draft picks. Defensively, they’re all so skilled. It would be hard for me not to see OKC win a championship in a year or two. When he went to OKC, I understand they already had Russ [Russell Westbrook], James Harden and KD [Kevin Durant] earlier, but they’re in a similar position now with all this young talent. I think they’ve learned from that situation. So I could see these guys running the table for a long time. They’re going to find a way to keep all of their pieces.”
Shai said he spent a lot of time working on his 3s and his defense. So far, how have you seen him play in those two areas?
Simplis: “What I like the most is that he’s shooting the 3. It’s not about whether he makes it or not. To me, he shoots it well enough to be a threat. He has always been able to shoot the 3 ball, but he knows he can get to wherever he wants. The NBA has brought back the physicality a little bit, which I like. In the past several years, you pretty much had to play defense with your hand behind your back. He took full advantage of that rule. ‘I’m 6-7, and you can’t touch me? I’m going downhill all day.’ But he has the ability and threat to shoot it and make it. That opens up the penetrating lanes even more. That makes him even more devastating as a scorer and as a guy that can create for his guys.
I like the fact that he’s just shooting it. Even if he’s shooting 10% from 3, just the threat of that ball creates so many opportunities for him and his teammates. One game [against Toronto], he shot ten 3s. I was extremely surprised. I don’t want ten 3s a game. But even though he wasn’t shooting well that game, he thought, ‘I’m going to keep shooting it until I make them.’ That’s how much confidence he has in himself.
Defensively, I’m so impressed. He has such a high usage rate, but he challenges himself. He wants to be a great defender. It’s pretty impressive for a young basketball player. He’s around great defenders. Lu Dort is a great defender. Chet is a great defender. But Shai doesn’t bail out. He doesn’t say, ‘I’ll relax.’ He says, ‘I’m in with you guys. I’m not going to be the weak link in this chain.’ He’s right there with them.”
With his bread-and-butter with how he drives to the rim and gets free throws, what were the things you all did in previous offseasons to help him make that such a strong strength of his?
Simplis: “In his first few years in the league, we would have him go 1-on-2 and we had parameters. He has two defenders guarding him the length of the lane lines, and he can’t go outside the lane line. He had to advance the ball full court without losing it. Then when he got advanced with that, we would have two defenders on him while he only had the width of the key to handle the ball, create and get up the court. Once he got good at that, we started having him be pulled by someone holding a [resistance] band. He had a band wrapped around him with two guys defending him. We did a lot of that stuff early where we always had two defenders guarding him in tight spaces. That was a staple in our training during his early years.
At this point, it’s just refining and staying healthy. Obviously, you can always get better. He can keep getting better at all the things that he’s good at. But I really don’t see a weakness in his game. I do see some areas he can get better at, and he continues to do that. His level of conditioning and details to his diet, he’s on the path. He’s riding the bike. I can’t see these guys slipping up anytime soon. He’s the head of the snake. When you’re the head of the snake, you’ll get a lot of accolades that come your way.”
Mark Medina is an NBA insider for Sportskeeda. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.