On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Thunder changed their rotation pattern for superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. MVP candidates typically play the entire first and third quarters, closing out the second and fourth quarters. Against the Pelicans, Gilgeous-Alexander logged just eight minutes in the first half.
This rotation adjustment actually doubles down for the OKC Thunder as they head towards their 50th win of the season and is a testament to Mark Daigneault's creativity.
Gilgeous-Alexander had an uncharacteristic struggle in the opening frame, going 1 of 3 in eight minutes, but his rising star teammate Jaylen Williams scored 10 points and Josh Guidy also had a great game.
Daigneault gave Williams the bulk of the bucketing duties, allowing Gilgeous-Alexander, who is nursing a quadriceps injury, to get some extra rest as the first benefit of this rotation change.
The max-contract guard did not return until the final two minutes of the frame after finishing the frame before getting additional rest between quarters.
Other than that, this also makes sense from a basketball perspective. Herb Jones regularly has Gilgeous-Alexander fits, and is one of the few players in the league who has troubled the superstar. By reversing the way the Thunder staggered their star guard's minutes, they were able to punish weaker Pelicans defenders in longer-than-usual spurts.
The Thunder's willingness to rely on Williams' hot start and make adjustments to make life easier for their star player points to another advantage they have in the postseason.
Most bench bosses in the union can be stubborn in the playoffs, but Daigneault's willingness to adjust on the fly will benefit Oklahoma City in the long run.
Styles points:
- Guidi had a great performance Tuesday against New Orleans, hitting a career-high five triples. The former No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft had 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor, nine rebounds and four assists. After his best game of the season and an incredible game in which he hit four triples on Sunday, Guidi will be tested by the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. The team gave him some issues as he tried to continue his month of production, which was on track.
- Aaron Wiggins didn't play a single minute in the game, even though the Thunder were originally scheduled to play. “He was live. With the group that was there when we started, I thought I just rolled with them. And it kind of took him out of the rotation. , it wasn't necessarily planned in advance. In fact, we were going to use him, but we were in a really good rhythm,” Daigneault said after the game against the Pelicans.
- The Thunder on Tuesday recorded eight 50-win seasons, tied for the most in the NBA's past 15 seasons.
- Oklahoma City is currently the top seed in the Western Conference, trailing the Denver Nuggets by a half game and winning a full game over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Denver will be tested by the Suns on Wednesday, and the Timberwolves will host the lowly Pistons.
- The Thunder open a two-game homestand against the Houston Rockets in the city on Wednesday for the second game of this back-to-back set.
Song of the day: holy holy Written by David Bowie.
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