Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Off-Ball Play: If Michael Jordan Did, I 'Definitely' Will

Shai Gilegous-Alexander had to do much of the heavy lifting for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, but during this year's preseason action, a big part of the focus was placed on his off-ball play.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear that he's getting comfortable not always having the ball in his hands:

"The best teams, like the best teams that have played the game. The teams that have won the most games, won the most championships, they play together. I don't know if you saw The Last Dance documentary, but there's a point in Michael Jordan's career where he had to learn the triangle offense and playing (without) the ball in his hands 24/7. So if Michael Jordan has to do it, I definitely have to do it."

"He wants to win," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault added. "If your individual success inhibits other players from becoming successful, it ultimately holds your team back. He's not a guy that does that."

Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed a career year in 2022-23, averaging 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 68 games while shooting 51.0 percent from the floor and 34.5 percent from deep.

However, during the 2023-24 preseason, the 25-year-old averaged the fourth-most shots per game on the Thunder, indicating that he could be playing more off-ball this year.

The emergence of Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams coupled with the return of Chet Holmgren should help take the scoring load off Gilgeous-Alexander this year, making the offense flow better.

Holmgren, the 2022 No. 2 overall pick, missed the entire 2022-23 campaign with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot that he suffered during the CrawsOver Pro-Am event while defending Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

The 21-year-old is now healthy and expected to make his NBA debut on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls.

It's important for the Thunder that Gilgeous-Alexander buys into a tweaked approach, especially because he could have insisted that the offense continue to solely run through him.

That said, it's important to note that Gilgeous-Alexander will still lead the way in Oklahoma City, and the Thunder will be hoping he can lead them back into the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.