It has been a wild ride watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ascend to Superstar status in Bricktown. When the L.A. Clippers shipped the guard to Bricktown, his name was overshadowed by a historic draft haul netted by Oklahoma City and forming of a dynamic duo in L.A. with Paul George joining Kawhi Leonard.
After a season playing alongside Chris Paul, Gilgeous-Alexander began to climb. He went from a fringe All-Star to being selected for the team to All-Star starter. At every stop along that path, people kept considering him at his ceiling before he bust through to reach new heights.
That is when the All-NBA appearances racked up before finishing top five in MVP voting for two straight seasons. Again, people expected that to be the end of his road in his development.
Then, last season happened. Gilgeous-Alexander improved his game to collect the NBA MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, NBA Finals MVP, leading the Thunder to a 68 win season, their first-ever championship, the best point differential in league history and led the NBA in scoring.
Gilgeous-Alexander graced the cover of NBA 2K26 and inked a supermax contract to become one of the league’s biggest stars after the launch of his first signature shoe.
He is still just 27-year-old and following a shortened offseason Gilgeous-Alexander hit the hardwood again this preseason, picking up right where he left off.
Gilgeous-Alexander missed four shots in the entire preseason. The superstar shot 20-of-24 in three halves of basketball in exhibition play. Not showing ant signs of rust even following a shortened offseason as he attempts to duplicate a historic campaign from a year ago.
Of course, the time on the court was spent in the typical ways for the Thunder superstar. Not only was he getting to his spots at will with his slithery moves snaking down the court with sleek handles and getting shots up in a phone booth in the mid-range, but he knocked down some pull up triples to really excite a fanbase that now expects each year to be out done by the last by one of the league’s best players.
For a player who has added to his game each season, perhaps the biggest stand out from the Thunder’s preseason slate was his playmaking. An area Gilgeous-Alexander took a step forward in a year ago has continued to pop in a big way for Oklahoma City. He continues to move the rock around and putting the team in advantageous situations. He took a step forward in the type of passes he slung around the floor this preseason that if it translates to the regular season and beyond can really help the Bricktown Ballers.
