The young Thunder may not quite be ready to win a tough playoff series, but there’s little doubt that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is, writes Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman. SGA was at his best in Saturday’s Game 6, scoring a series-high 36 points and hitting numerous clutch shots down the stretch. He also handed out eight assists, the biggest of which was an alley-oop that Chet Holmgren slammed home to give OKC a one-point lead with 20 seconds remaining.
But Gilgeous-Alexander made a critical mistake, committing a foul that sent P.J. Washington to the line for three free throws to decide the series. Washington made his first two shots to give Dallas the lead, then missed the third on purpose to take time off the clock and force Oklahoma City into a long heave on its final possession.
“We talk about it all year, the little things that go into winning games. And being disciplined. It sucks,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of his foul on Washington. “Obviously if I had the moment back I wouldn’t have fouled him and just let him make or miss the shot.”
At the post-game press conference, Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters that he isn’t interested in watching a replay of the foul. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault challenged the play, which cost him his final timeout, but officials determined that SGA’s contact warranted a foul.
Even if it’s part of the learning process for a team that appears to have an incredibly bright future, the loss was painful in the moment as the players feel like they let an opportunity slip away.
“It’s hard to tell what you remember more, the wins or the losses, but this definitely stings,” Holmgren said. “It doesn’t feel great. Nobody wins 12 straight championships, so the chances I’m gonna feel this at some point again is definitely there. But I’m gonna do everything in my power to avoid this feeling again.”
There’s more on the Thunder:
- The series highlighted the decision that OKC will eventually have to make about Josh Giddey‘s fit with the rest of the team, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Gilgeous-Alexander’s rise to an MVP candidate and the addition of Jalen Williams have significantly cut into Giddey’s usage rate, and he doesn’t shoot well enough from long distance to be an effective complementary player. Slater notes that Giddey was replaced in the starting lineup for Games 5 and 6 and didn’t start the second half in Games 2 and 4. Giddey will make $8.3MM next season in the final year of his rookie contract, but he’s extension-eligible this summer and Slater suggests he may be a trade candidate if the Thunder go shopping for veteran help.
- There may not be a future in Oklahoma City for Gordon Hayward, whose $33.3MM salary will come off the books this summer, Slater adds. The team sent unwanted contracts to Charlotte to acquire Hayward at the trade deadline, but he wasn’t a factor in the playoffs, going scoreless in 46 total minutes.
- The Thunder have a two-year window to upgrade their roster before future extensions start to kick in for their stars, Bobby Marks of ESPN states in his offseason overview of the team. Marks suggests that general manager Sam Presti might decline modest team options for Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe and try to reach long-term deals with both players.
Seems obvious Thunder need a Center. Said it long before they said it after gm. A rim protector would fit nicely on that team. Can even play with Holmgren when they go big. Defense and rebounding are just as important as scoring. For any winning team.
Thunder have the 12th pick. They also have cap space to sign one.
Hartenstein is a FA ….
Claxton is a FA …..
Drummond is a FA …….
Wagner is a FA ……
Hartenstein seems to play a style that fits, he gets off rebs. That is what they are missing, he knows how to play in a spaced offense.
I don’t know if Wagner boys split.
Drummond can’t play in playoffs since he can’t guard or space a bit.
Claxton does not provide the size.
Hartenstein or trade up for Clingan.
They could offer Hartenstein 20 mill a yr. 3yrs guaranteed. Knicks won’t match that.
I’d try to draft Clingan and still sign one. I like Wagner on this team. Probably get him at 8 mill. Then draft a Center. OKC does major upgrades. Here
Can we move up to get Zach Edey?? Or is he too much of a project?
Edey is not getting picked in the lottery. He is at best the late 1st but early 2nd.
Hartenstein is perfect fit for them and affordable
I think either Claxton or Hartenstein will get the job done
Yeah OKC shouldnt have challeneged that even if the call was right, because even if PJ made all 3, if they had a timeout they would have a great chance at winning still. Not having that timeout destroyed their chances.
That was a Darvin Ham level type of mistake.
Giddey would work if he was tougher, but since he does not help in rebounding on offense I think they trade him. They drafted Wallace for a reason and already want SGA & Jalen to handle the ball.
Presti is great, but he has his flaws of staying content and never making a killer trade to get to title.
They need a center which helps put Chet and Jalen at their more natural spots.
Wonder if Klay Thompson could be a potential FA signing target?
Cause they played well against the Mavs but ultimately needed to drop Giddey for better outside shooting and I think in the end the lack of experience was also a factor.
They have money to spend, Klay is a easy going person that could seamlessly fit in that locker room. Although he’s not what he was before the injury he’s still decent. He put up 18 points per game last season shooting 39% from deep and 93% at the line.
He works really hard off the ball running off screens and getting open. He can obviously space the floor, he’s got championship experience and he’s a good locker room guy.
Think he’d be a really smart addition
Giddey be coming home to play for the Adelaide 36ers if he keeps this Simmons type play up.