The 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder’s season officially ended following a play-in tournament loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, which means it’s time for some reflection.
Being one of the biggest overachievers in the league, the Thunder finished with a 40-42 record after being predicted by many to have high lottery odds.
Now that the season is in the books, let’s go back and evaluate all 19 players who suited up for the Thunder this past season. Grades will be handed out to every player in terms of what their expectations were heading into the season and how they lived up to them.
The first player in this installment is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who enjoyed the best season of his career and will likely win All-NBA honors.
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(Editor’s note: We are starting individual grades for all players from the 2022-23 Oklahoma City Thunder. To access other reviews as part of this ongoing series, click here.)
2022-23 statistics
Advanced stats:
Significant Percentile Finishes
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Isolation scorer: 78.7 percentile
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Transition scorer: 76.2 percentile
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P&R ball handler: 82.8 percentile
Contract
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2023-24: $33.4 million
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2024-25: $35.9 million
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2025-26: $38.3 million
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2026-27: $40.8 million
Thoughts
Heading into the season, it’s hard to imagine anyone reasonably expected Gilgeous-Alexander to have the type of year he had.
The 24-year-old turned in one of the greatest scoring efficiency seasons the league has ever seen. Only six other players in league history have averaged over 31 points on 62-plus true-shooting percentage for a season.
After averaging over five 3-pointers last season, that shot was basically eradicated in Gilgeous-Alexander’s diet this year — shooting just 2.5 a game this season, his lowest since his rookie campaign.
Instead, Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring game relied heavily on driving to the basket and drawing fouls. 87.8% of his field goal attempts were 2-pointers. He led the league in drives per game for a third consecutive season by a wide margin — his 23.9 per game was nearly four more attempts than second-placed Ja Morant’s 20.3.
With that said though, Gilgeous-Alexander was a sneakily good midrange shooter too — half of his attempts were from that spot and he shot a respectable 46.2% in that area, per Cleaning The Glass.
As mentioned earlier, Gilgeous-Alexander unlocked the ability to get to the free-throw line at will — which essentially upgraded him to one of the best scorers in the league. He averaged a career-high 10.9 attempts — third-most in the league — and shot a career-high 90.5% from the line.
Gilgeous-Alexander showed hints of this last season, especially post-All-Star break, so carrying this over for an entire season isn’t that shocking — nevertheless, it’s a critical development that dramatically raises OKC’s ceiling.
Eliminating his outside shot and being strictly a driver with a knack for getting to the free-throw line with elite efficiency, Gilgeous-Alexander has blossomed into one of the league’s most prolific scorers.
Moving Forward:
I honestly don’t see how this cannot be sustainable for Gilgeous-Alexander moving forward. Nothing about his scoring game was flukey and he should continue to get to the free-throw line at a high rate as his reputation grows.
Being an All-NBA First Team member should definitely help with that — along with him playing politics with the referees.
The only concern I have is that having such a drive-heavy scoring game could eventually cause some wear and tear on the body.
At 24 years old, that shouldn’t be a problem — but Gilgeous-Alexander already has a history of missing time due to lower leg injuries. A resurrection of a 3-point shot could fight against that fear and he’s shown the ability to hit it from the outside at a decent clip — just two seasons ago, he averaged 4.9 3s on 41.8% shooting!
Regardless though, even if Gilgeous-Alexander’s development stagnates — which I don’t see why that would be the case barring health — it’s fair to say OKC should expect similar seasons like this for the foreseeable future as he enjoys his prime.
Final Grade: A+
Story originally appeared on Thunder Wire