Luka Doncic catches stray in insider’s ‘mix it up’ take on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are out to reclaim the throne they relinquished to the New York Knicks last season.

With the core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Ajay Mitchell, and Isaiah Hartenstein back in full force, many tag the Thunder as the heavy favorite to come out of the Western Conference, even though the San Antonio Spurs have remained intact as well.

Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor posited that there could be a “very subtle shift” on the offensive end for Oklahoma City, citing its drafting of Aday Mara and Bennett Stirtz, who both have creation ability, and the emergence of Mitchell, Jared McCain, and Cason Wallace. He suggested that Gilgeous-Alexander could play more off the ball.

O’Connor’s guest, The Athletic’s Sam Amick, agreed with the possibility, while also mentioning Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers.

“You can’t go five years playing Luka-style basketball in Dallas (Mavericks) or even the Lakers version. That’s for SGA, for his longevity and his wear and tear, especially with J-Dub being out last year, we saw Shai having to do it every single night,” said Amick.

“It would make sense and it would be natural to say, ‘Alright, back-to-back MVP, you had this individual peak-of-powers era. Let’s mix it up a little bit and get you some help and get you off the ball.'”

New pod! @sam_amick joins to discuss how the Thunder might evolve, if the Knicks can repeat, and whether we’re underrating the upside for the Rockets. Plus a little Jalen Duren talk.

Spotify: https://t.co/Q4kYhbliTK

Apple: https://t.co/ghDc2kywU9 pic.twitter.com/Prq88scBbo

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnor) September 3, 2026

Doncic carried a heavy load for the Mavericks and continues to do so with the Lakers. He has been hobbled by various injuries in recent seasons, including straining his hamstring against, incidentally, the Thunder in April.

Gilgeous-Alexander, meanwhile, has stayed healthy. But as Amick intimated, SGA and the Thunder should be more cautious with the prolific guard’s offensive burden, especially as he enters his ninth season.

The 28-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander and the 27-year-old Doncic entered the NBA in 2018.

SGA begged off from playing for Canada in the fourth window of the FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifiers.

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