The Oklahoma City Thunder continue their great start to the 2025-26 NBA season.
The defending NBA champions faced the Atlanta Hawks and won 117-100.
As a result, the Oklahoma City Thunder improved to a perfect 3-0 record to begin the season. They are currently one of the only undefeated teams in the Western Conference.
Unsurprisingly, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to be the focal point of head coach Mark Denault’s attack.
Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander had the best season of his NBA career. In the end, SGA led the Thunder to the NBA Championship and won the regular season and Finals MVP.
While some may think that was the peak of Shai’s talent, coach Daigneault believes the 27-year-old has added new skills to his arsenal.
“As far as his play, he looks pretty much the same. The only thing that really looks a little different is he’s starting to really manipulate the game as a playmaker,” Daigneault said, per Nick Gallo of the X’s.
He added, “The scoring was big, but some of the passes and reads he made against the different coverages we saw him in the first few games were really good.”
Scoring has always been SGA’s most prominent skill on the hardwood, but if his playmaking improves, he could very well be on his way to winning back-to-back NBA MVP awards.
Heading into the new season, Gilgeous-Alexander was considered the best player in the league. But even by his own standards, he exceeded expectations.
First, SGA broke Michael Jordan’s unique record in just two games. Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic also outperformed SGA with the same performance, but it’s still worth noting.
In terms of numbers, Gilgeous-Alexander is currently averaging 40.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game for the Thunder.
He also shot 52.7% from the field and 84.1% from the free throw line. The only area he can improve on is his 3-point shooting, as SGA is currently shooting 22.7% from deep.