A categorically funky defense meets a categorically funky star.
In the two games prior to the matchup with the Raptors, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged just over 34 points and 7 assists. He’s been leveraging all the skills that fueled his ascension last season – which is considered one of the most impressive self-creation seasons of all time – recently, and appears to have captured that rare form once again. He seems inevitable. His 16-point burst in the 3rd quarter (which the Thunder won 33-12) seemed like a ‘when’ not an ‘if’. And in addition to pouring in buckets, he provided for his teammates.
A Raptors defense that moves more than any of their contemporaries. That wants to create turnovers, leverage their length, and gamble to beat the house. And even more so with Khem Birch, Precious Achiuwa, and OG Anunoby all out for this game. They attempted to walk the high-wire of dealing with Gilgeous-Alexander, and failed on many possessions. Not always through poor execution – perhaps not even often – but because of ‘SGA’s improvisational bent. Prior to the game, Nick Nurse bristled at the idea of Oklahoma being ‘low’ on shooting talent, and they converted on his optimism with a 17-40 performance. Many of those looks coming after Gilgeous-Alexander had slurped the Raptors defenders toward him with the power of a shop vacuum. It’s entirely possible that Nurse was expecting a plus night from the Thunder behind the line because of how aggressive the Raptors scheme is, paired with the gravitational pull of ‘SGA’.
Extremely inventive passing, yes. But, more importantly, ‘SGA’ gets a combined total of 14 defenders to touch the paint over 3 possessions. Even if he wasn’t brilliant navigating that space to create layups for teammates, he could have fell back on passes out to open shooters. However, he can do it all.
Nutmegs to create layups, long and lanky skip passes out beyond the arc. He was in rare form. And despite Nurse’s distaste at Gilgeous-Alexander’s whistle, foul calls typically come when you can compromise the defense and few do it better than him.
“He was really good. He was carving us to pieces there for a while.” Nurse said of Gilgeous-Alexander after the game. “I mean, they were giving him a million calls too, right. I mean, he was falling down every time anybody came near him. But he was really good. He was hard to keep in front of and he was making good plays.”
Fresh off a 33-12 beating in the third quarter, and with Scottie Barnes proving a terrible match for Gilgeous-Alexander as a primary (and with the rookie finding success in help-side) the Raptors started looking, desperately, for someone who could take the oncoming punches. Enter Justin Champagnie. An undrafted, two-way player who was launched at one of the NBA’s most overwhelming downhill forces, and with the help of his teammates, successfully made Gilgeous-Alexander work uphill.
“I kind of came into the league like, I have to tell myself, whatever they need me to do, just go do.” said Champagnie after the game of his assignment on ‘SGA’. “That’s my mindset. I’m not the fastest guy, I’m not the most athletic guy, but I have the best mindset, in my opinion. I just told myself, just go out there, and just do what coach says.”
All of Champagnie’s minutes came in the fourth quarter in this one, and the bulk of his defensive possessions – once ‘SGA’ entered the game – were spent guarding the Thunder’s slinky star. Was it a standalone job? Absolutely not. But, Champagnie sprung into defensive action and allowed his teammates to stay a little more at home for a handful of possessions, which allowed them to store energy for the hectic possessions that would come where x-outs and rotations were accomplished and their court coverage slowed the Thunder down.
As it turns out though, luck can be rotten. Champagnie was milliseconds away from his buzzer tap-in registering as a winning basket, and maybe if Gilgeous-Alexander had used the Muscala screen instead of rejecting it – and blowing by Barnes in doing so – we may have seen Champagnie climb into the spotlight as a defender once again. But, we didn’t. And instead, Gilgeous-Alexander drew 4 defenders into the paint and made the right read.
“In the fourth quarter I noticed they went to a box and one. So, I knew that once I got by my guy there would be four guys waiting for me.” said Gilgeous-Alexander of the last made basket of the game. “And I just wanted to try and draw as many guys as I could in. Pump fake, had a couple guys on me, then Mike was open.”
Breaking the hearts of fans who pine for his presence in the white and red jerseys of Team Canada and the Raptors. But, at least he left with a glowing comment about his presence in Canadian basketball:
“It’s kinda cool being in the situation that I am. Kids looking up to me like how I used to look up to guys in the NBA. I just want to be a good role model.” – Shai Gilgeous Alexander
Have a blessed day.
