Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the league’s most effortless superstar across the past few seasons; he scores 30 points nightly, plays high-level defense, all while being a stellar facilitator. The otherworldly consistency has allowed the Canadian megastar to win the Most Valuable Player award two consecutive years and make four straight All-NBA First Teams.
From a team standpoint, Gilgeous-Alexander has led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Western Conference’s No. 1 overall seed three seasons in a row, taking home the franchise’s first title in 2025, while winning both the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals MVPs. He’s lifted the Thunder franchise from a multi-year rebuild into the powerhouse it is today.
With his incredible on-ball skillset, comes an incredibly high usage rate as well. Gilgeous-Alexander has had a USG% above 30% every season since 2021-22, growing higher each year until a slight decrease between 2024-25 and 2025-26.
High usage with a player as talented as the back-to-back reigning MVP is a winning formula, but it can cause excessive wear and tear over time. Due to injuries to his co-stars, Gilgeous-Alexander has been forced into a high-taxing role each of the last two seasons, but the emmergence of Ajay Mitchell allowed him to step back slightly at times last year.
Going forward, it should be in the Thunder’s best interest to have the Kentucky product to take a slight step back on on-ball workload in 2026-27, trusting Mitchell, Jalen Williams and other capable on-ball guards on the team to play off his gravity.
In fact, Gilgeous-Alexander has focused during the summer to improve as a player away from the basketball offensively, trying it out in-game during FIBA World Cup Qualifiers with the Canadian National Team.
“Shai came and said he’d like to play off the ball a little bit more, which is great for us. It’s a learning process for him to play off the ball,” Team Canada Head Coach Geordie Herbert said. “We’re trying to play him off the ball and on the ball. Both. I think he’s actually tougher to guard off the ball.
Despite it potentially costing the future Hall of Famer from taking home a third consecutive MVP, a less taxing role during the regular season may help the Thunder return to NBA glory during the postseason. After an offseason full of transactions, including key role players hinting at more force being sent Gilgeous-Alexander’s way, maybe the opposite will occur.
After a season declared as a “failure” in the superstar’s eyes, in 2025-26, he’s ready to do anything to secure a second ring in 2026-27.
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