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Is he happy with where the team is now? “Yeah, absolutely,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “Winning basketball games is no secret. Who you play against brings different challenges, but we know what it’s going to be, we know what it’s going to come down to. It’s just about us getting it done and being ready to get it done. Getting to final form, we’re shaping up, guys are coming back. I feel like we’re in a good rhythm right now going into the postseason.”
“I understand why [fans] are frustrated about it, because they’re an X, Y and Z fan,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “They’re playing against us, and in the past couple years we’ve happened to beat their team. And we beat their team because we scored more points. We scored points at the free throw line, midrange, three-point shot, free throw, everything. So I completely understand why they’re frustrated. Gilgeous-Alexander shrugs at the criticism. He averages 9.1 free throw attempts this season, fewer than Luka Dončić (10.3) and tied with Deni Avdija. He points out the only time he averaged double-digit attempts was in 2022–23. “And nobody cared,” he says, “because we were the No. 10 seed.” He isn’t bothered by the internet outrage. He just points out the numbers don’t back it up.
“But you’ll never hear an OKC fan complain about my free throws. You’ll never hear a Denver fan complain about Jokić’s free throws. You’ll never hear a Lakers fan complain about Luka’s free throws. It’s just part of the business. But I love it, it creates buzz around the game. It creates rivalries. It creates energy. It’s what makes the NBA so fun. Honestly, the fact that they care so much is great, because they care, they watch it on TV, the TV deals grow, I get more money. It’s how it goes. That’s honestly how I see it. So I love it. It’s amazing. It makes the games more fun.”
None of it is surprising, he insists. Gilgeous-Alexander counts Chris Paul as one of his earliest mentors. In his first season in Oklahoma City, Paul told him: You know you are starting to do things when you go to other arenas and they boo you. “That’s very true,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. Let the crowds complain. Let the talking heads gripe. To Gilgeous-Alexander, it’s just evidence he’s doing something right. “Everybody in the history of the NBA has an arc where everyone loves them, and then everyone hates them,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “LeBron James was hated, and look what he’s done for the game? It’s part of the game. I love it. It’s stuff I dreamed about as a kid.”
A fight for seeding will do that, too. Last season Oklahoma City had the top seed sewed up by St. Patrick’s Day. This one has been more competitive. The Thunder have been a fixture at the top of the standings but have been forced to fend off the surging Spurs—who have beaten OKC four times this season. “For me it’s made things a lot more fun,” says Gilgeous-Alexander. “You just play longer. Last year I feel like my break from playing to my first playoff game was a little bit too long because I was out the last week of the season because we had already wrapped things up. But yeah, I definitely think we’ll go into a playoff sharper this year.”
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It’s no secret that guard is considered to be the deepest position in this draft ... with some scouts calling it the deepest draft for guards since the 2018 edition that delivered Luka Dončić, Trae Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Another executive I spoke to compared this guard class to the Class of 2008, which featured Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, OJ Mayo and Eric Gordon.
Justin Martinez: Final: Thunder 121, Nets 92 Jared McCain: 26 points and 2 blocks Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 20 points and 6 assists Aaron Wiggins: 17 points and 7 rebounds OKC (55-15) has now won 10 straight games. Next up is a road game against Washington at 4 p.m. CT Saturday.
Justin Martinez: Gilgeous-Alexander has now scored at least 20 points in 130 straight games. It's the longest streak in NBA history.
Who will be the NBA's best in five years? Here's our projection: 1. Victor Wembanyama; 2. Anthony Edwards; 3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; 4. Luka Doncic; 5. Cade Cunningham; 6. Cooper Flagg.
Justin Martinez: Final: Thunder 113, Magic 108 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: 40 points, 5 boards and 4 steals Chet Holmgren: 20 points and 12 boards Ajay Mitchell: 16 points and 3 assists OKC (54-15) becomes the first team to clinch a playoff spot this season.
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Nearly 10 years before teaming up for the Lakers, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton were just teenaged prospects with big dreams. They first met at a Basketball without Borders camp in 2016. The roster that year also included future NBA champions Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Isaiah Hartenstein. Hachimura recalled Ayton dominating everyone. Then the 7-foot center from the Bahamas inexplicably disappeared. “That’s what I remember,” Hachimura said with a smile remembering his first impression of his future Lakers teammate. “I was like, ‘Where’s this guy going?’”
NBA Communications: Other nominees… West: Devin Booker (PHX), DeMar DeRozan (SAC), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC), Kawhi Leonard (LAC), Austin Reaves (LAL) and Victor Wembanyama (SAS) East: Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane (ORL), Jalen Brunson (NYK), Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren (DET), Brandon Ingram (TOR) and Jalen Johnson (ATL)
Oh No He Didn't: SGA could care less about the 20+ point streak: "Those type of things have never mattered. If I have a night like I had tonight and we win the way we win tonight for the rest of the season I'll be the happiest guy on earth. The winning is all that matters"
SGA could care less about the 20+ point streak:
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 16, 2026
"Those type of things have never mattered. If I have a night like I had tonight and we win the way we win tonight for the rest of the season I'll be the happiest guy on earth. The winning is all that matters" pic.twitter.com/oOKIPJ9Hl0
Justin Martinez: Asked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at what point in his basketball journey he stopped letting missed shots affect his confidence: “I’m not too sure when the actual point was. But it increases every year, for sure. The more I play, the more I work out and the more experiences I go through, it just adds to the confidence. I use those experiences to try to learn from them and get better, and I feel like I do. I have no choice but to be confident.”
