{"id":189984,"date":"2026-04-17T19:39:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T23:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=189984"},"modified":"2026-04-17T19:39:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T23:39:41","slug":"okc-thunder-shai-gilgeous-alexander-problem-playoffs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/04\/17\/okc-thunder-shai-gilgeous-alexander-problem-playoffs\/","title":{"rendered":"OKC Has an SGA Problem to Address in the Playoffs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander<\/a> is more valuable than you think for Oklahoma City. Of course, he’s the reigning MVP and the second-best scorer in the league. There’s a lot about his game that makes him the Thunder’s most important player. With the playoffs coming up, OKC must solve a key problem with SGA: an over-reliance on him and his elite performances. That may cost them their chance to repeat now more than ever.<\/p>\n

SGA boasts the highest plus\/minus this season at +876<\/a>, which is a huge indicator of the Thunder’s dependence on him. It’s safe to say that they are winning the most with him on the floor. That’s primarily why he’s the frontrunner for MVP again<\/a>, but it also presents the Thunder’s main weakness: they need Gilgeous-Alexander to win most of their games. This season, Oklahoma City went 56-12 with him on the floor<\/a>. That’s nearly 88% of their regular season wins.<\/p>\n

OKC Has an SGA Problem to Address in the Playoffs<\/h2>\n

As the Thunder roll through the postseason, they need to look like themselves in their championship campaign. Despite having the best depth in the league<\/a>, they aren’t as tough as most people think — especially without their best player.<\/p>\n

How Important is SGA to the Thunder?<\/h3>\n

Gilgeous-Alexander is ranked as the most impactful player for the 2026 playoffs<\/a>. That’s not an overstatement, but it shows how much of a game-changer he is.<\/p>\n

This has been SGA’s best season so far; he’s drilling 39% of his threes, and 60% of his twos. Perhaps the best bit here? SGA is boasting a 66.5% true shooting percentage. This is a mark worth rivaling Stephen Curry<\/a>‘s 66.9% TS in his unanimous MVP season. By now, there shouldn’t be any arguments left for SGA’s MVP case<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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If you don't like complicated ideas or metrics, a very simple stat: <\/p>\n

OKC has outscored opponents by 788 points total across SGA's minutes this season, 100 more than the Spurs have outscored opponents in 2nd-place Victor Wembanyama's minutes. <\/p>\n

The Thunder have won the most with\u2026<\/p>\n

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n