Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Needs to Find Offense as Playoffs Progress

One of the most prolific scorers in the NBA this season is off to an uncharacteristically slow start in the NBA playoffs.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, through two games, isn't the leading scorer and has yet to have a usual high-output, efficient game.

Part of that can be attributed to only playing 23 minutes in game one. However, he scored only 15 points on 4-for-13 shooting, the lowest scoring output of his season. He followed that up with 27 points on 10-for-29 shooting in game two, posting another inefficient performance.

Every player and team that the Thunder will face in this year's playoffs know what Gilgeous-Alexander is capable of doing, so it makes sense that he's seeing more defensive attention. The Memphis Grizzlies, OKC's round one opponent, are making a concerted effort to double-team Gilgeous-Alexander and force him into situations where he's either taking a bad shot or passing it out.

So far, the Thunder haven't had to worry much about Gilgeous-Alexander's early struggles. It's possible that they won't have to in the entire first round, based on the overall performance of the team over the first two games. That being said, he needs to step it up soon in preparation for the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers in round two.

Memphis has displayed its fair share of struggles so far during the series, which Oklahoma City has managed to exploit fairly easily. Whether it's finding open triples on offense in transition or forcing unnecessary turnovers on the opposite side, they've managed to flex their muscles on Memphis in just about every way possible.

Other players have done a good job stepping up so far, like wing Jalen Williams and forward Chet Holmgren. Williams is averaging 22 points per game through the first two games, which is one more than Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging. It is a small sample size, but Williams has arguably looked better than OKC's superstar so far.

What Gilgeous-Alexander did during the regular season should not be taken for granted. An MVP-caliber stat line with his scoring efficiency is rare and puts him in elite company. He can't disappear in the playoffs, however. OKC relies on his scoring and efficiency on a nightly basis and if that goes away, it levels the playing field for their future opponents.

It's still early and there is presumably plenty of time for Gilgeous-Alexander to heat up. It's something that has to happen for Oklahoma City to maximize its playoff hopes and potential and he has opportunities against the Grizzlies coming up soon to do so.

OKC will take on the Grizzlies in game three of its series on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. CT on the road.