Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's next evolution: Why the 2-time MVP should give up touches to his Thunder teammates

Russ got more help when Paul George arrived in 2017, but three consecutive first-round exits eventually sent Oklahoma City into a rebuild.

Now, the Thunder have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , a two-time MVP and NBA champion with a deeper roster around him. He plays a different style than Russ, but he has also carried an enormous offensive load. Given the lessons Oklahoma City learned from the Westbrook experience, and the possibility that Shai's enormous workload finally began to catch up with him deep in the playoffs last season, I wonder whether SGA's next evolution will involve something Russ never fully embraced with the Thunder: Doing less.

This summer, while playing for Team Canada in World Cup qualifying, Gilgeous-Alexander asked head coach Gordie Herbert to let him play more off the ball. That gave Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Andrew Nembhard more opportunities to initiate while Shai found other ways to attack. Both Alexander-Walker and Nembhard ended up running more pick-and-rolls than Shai.