Shay Gilgers-Alexander returned after missing a game to help the Oklahoma City Thunder win their first game of the season against the Los Angeles Clippers who lack Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Thunder defeated the Clippers 108-94. Ball safety won the game for the Thunder as the Clippers flipped the ball 18 times — causing the Thunder to try another 27 shots. The shooting difference isn't good — the Thunder shoots 4-of-30 from three-point range (13.3 percent) — but when you shoot a lot more than your opponent, there's a lot of room for turnover. The Clippers were led by Luke Kennard, who scored 15 points. John Wall also scored 12 points off the bench. For the Thunder, Gilges Alexander and Treman's starting backcourt stood out with a total of 58 points. Aaron Wiggins had a solid start to the season, while Lu Dort's shooting woes worsened. Let's look at the results of the four Thunder players who won by 14 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander：A+
The Thunder look like a completely different team, their best players are healthy and on the court.
Gilges Alexander scored 33 points on 11-of-22 shooting against his old club. He also contributed eight assists, five rebounds and three steals. As usual, the 24-year-old caused most of the damage in the paint.
After the game, Thunder coach Mark Diagnott said that despite such a heavy workload on the offensive end, Gilges Alexander also performed well on the defensive end.
Gilgeous-Alexander attributes his physicality to his ability to play well on both the offensive and defensive ends.
Treman: A+
Josh Giddy went out with a sprained ankle and Trey Mann took the starting position and showed the best of his young season.
Mann scored 25 points on 10-of-24 shooting. As always, Mann was able to score from the inside and outside in a variety of ways.
Mann's 24 shots are in itself an encouraging sign. It shows that he is increasingly satisfied with his scoring talent, and that he knows that whether the Thunder want to score tonight depends largely on him.
Mann also emphasized his defense after the game, saying he knew he would need to play on that side of the court if he wanted to get playing time when he arrived in Oklahoma City in 2021.
Ludot: D-plus
Ludot's shooting struggles continued in this young season, scoring 4 points on 1-of-11 shooting and 0-of-6 from three-point range. This season, Dort is now 4-of-26 (15.4%) from the field.
After the game, Daigneault said he should take some responsibility for Dort's shooting problems because he wanted them to continue to grow as players, pushing his team out of their comfort zone. Diagnott was also quick to praise Dort's defense, noting that he scored a game-high 25 points on the court.
While it's too early to focus on Dort's shooting points, it's a little disappointing to see him start so coldly. While shooting data is terrible, it's also important to remember that it's only four games, and a small sample size often produces dramatic numbers.
Dort has been an inconsistent shooter throughout his career, and now he's going through a cold snap. What happened at the beginning of the season was just bad luck for him because he didn't have a larger sample to buffer his season stats.
Aaron Wiggins: B
In his first start of the season, Aaron Wiggins had a quiet and fulfilling night, but was overshadowed by the performance of his teammates.
The second-year forward had 11 points and 10 rebounds.
"He's a solid player and I think he's very clear about who he is," Daignot said after the game. "He's very effective as a functional two-way player."
With the Thunder having younger talent and a better draft pedigree, it's easy to forget about Wiggins after switching from a two-way player to a full-time contract last season. This game is a good reminder that the former 55th pick can develop into a solid player.