The Spurs Created A Monster Version Of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]The crowd clearly trying to get in your head with some chance. What does that do for you? Does it fuel you?

[00:00:05]>> Uh, it does nothing. Doesn't fuel me.

[00:00:07]Doesn't discourage me. Uh, it's part of the game. I don't really hear it. I'm focused on what's going on on the court.

[00:00:12]>> In this year's NBA playoffs, defenses have shown many different ways that they tried to slow down Shay Gilis Alexander.

[00:00:17]The Lakers made him have more of a quiet series. You could say the Phoenix Suns tried to double him as much as they could, but I mean, hey, his creation skills was just too elite for them. SGA somehow someway.

[00:00:30]>> And now versus San Antonio Spurs, they maybe have made him even better than he already was. Now, the reason I say this is because the Spurs are running a heavy scheme to get the ball out of his hands or stop his attacks to the rim way better than Phoenix did. And in real time, we've seen the adjustments in this video brought to you by Prize Picks.

[00:00:46]When looking at the first three games and keying in on these numbers, in game one, Shay had 12 assist, four turnovers with a plus minus of -15. But then in game two and three, you can see the complete switch. Shay had nine assists with just two turnovers for a plus minus of 14 in game two and followed it up with a solid game three with 12 assist and just two turnovers while being plus 11 when on the court. At first, things looked a little bad as anytime SJ would work to get to the basket, they would have someone directly helping out in front to limit his pursuit so his defender could then get back and then the Spurs guards would just smother SGA, giving him barely any space to operate.

[00:01:22]The help of the Spurs will be so aggressive that we would see guys giving up absurd gaps between them and the defender like this. And this is all because teams see SJ as a scoring threat but not as much as a great playmaker. So they test that theory. They have guys sitting at gaps on the floor where Shay will try to attack and it's up to him to make the right read at the right time which would be at this exact moment. But Shay instead creates separation with that bump on Visel to opt into a jumper that misses off the back of the rim.

[00:01:46]Game one certainly gave Shay a lot of problems as he would try and break past defenders the best way he could and attack the paint like he's been doing.

[00:01:53]But until he proved San Antonio wrong, they were going to relentlessly be in these gaps to bother him. And what's crazy is they're begging him to make these wide open passes, but he simply wasn't making them more times than not.

[00:02:04]The biggest thing in game one with Shay was making the reads quicker. Like on this play, you can see Harper far over on Shay. And that's fine if they want to take away Shay's scoring. But now something new is unlocked. This is the time where Shay can pick apart the defense with his passing. And in moments like this, passes have to be led, not followed. What I mean by this is with Chad cutting to the rim, this is where Wimi will have to decide to either help out on Cadet or stay in this middle ground just in case there's a kick out to Caruso. This is the position you want to put the defense in. But first, you have to get it to Cadet. With SGA having a small window, he can't telegraph this pass or else it will be stolen. And he also can't throw it behind Chad on the cut, which is why I said it can't be followed. Shay has to throw this pass earlier in the cut so he can lead Chad to the basket while beating the defenders. But with a direct pass that sent late, Harper is able to get a hand on it to go the other way. That's why things need to be quicker. And if they weren't, well, he needed to just not force the issue. At times, he would be cut off from driving because the defense will buy in on closing off the paint and instead of passing, he will rise up for tough shots. This will make for a struggle in game one. But in the next coming games, things totally shifted. I want you all to look at Caruso right here. Now, you're probably saying, "Why is this even important?" Well, this is when it all completely clicked and that the Thunder finally realized that this is what's been unlocking Caruso and would unlock Sheay as well. Now, they've been having success with this, but everything clicked in that moment as when Shay and Caruso work together, defenders will often help off Caruso completely to double Shay. And where Caruso being able to playmake or score, Shay can out find him to make the Spurs pay. For example, with Cruso knowing the Spurs will double shade aggressively when they get close to him no matter what. He doesn't even bother setting the screen and just sets a go screen so he can slip into the middle area to receive the pass. Once catching in the middle of the defense, you can pretty much do whatever you want. As you can see, Cruso has a pass to McCain available right here. But with a simple ball fake, he's now shed the defender to have open shot.

[00:03:53]This now makes Wimi step towards him to take that away. And with a small window to get this pass through, he puts it right on the money for Mitchell to go score. Shay making reads in a quicker manner while pairing him with a high IQ player is what breaks the Spurs as scrambled defense never really works in your favor. This play style switch is us seeing Shay improve as a player in real time. Usually on plays like this, we would see Shay try to break past the defense to go get a bucket, try to draw a foul versus the multiple defenders around him or even create space with a bump to then pull up for a jumper. But with adjustments of your play style being key in the playoffs for a star player, this is now where Shay is looking for his guys early to locate where they would be open. And with this two-man connection with Alice Cruso being so dangerous, here comes the money ball. When pushing up the floor here, Cruso sets the ball screen high for Shay once he passes out court. Also, he can attack Cornell with momentum. Well, with Shay angling his job more towards the middle, this now pulls in Johnson as well due to the Spurs buying in on the concept of completely closing off the paint. And this is why I say this unlocks the game completely. As even though Caruso isn't the one scoring, Jay Will is the one who ends up open the initial pick and roll. And now the three ball will activate. Working with Caruso as a Screenman allows any of OKC's guys to attack downhill with some steam. And it may seem like this didn't do much as Wimi is able to stop JDub. But with a kick out flowing directly into a pick and roll with Cruso and Shay, you can see Cruso slipped immediately while Wim is telling Harbor to get out and not paying attention. So now two points inside is generated. Honestly, you can show many examples of just him and Cruso solely, but let me shift things slightly and let's analyze the different ways he can break the defense with his passing in totality. For example, with Shay having so much attention when he's on the floor, it's not just two defenders as three defenders all lock in on him.

[00:05:32]And now they just totally forget about this weak side cut to the basket. And that's how you take advantage of a defense with tunnel vision.

[00:05:41]>> And it's a point lead. It's not that Shay was totally shut down before or anything because he could get downhill when he felt like it. It was just at these times where he attracted multiple defenders. He was making the pass too late, but now he used this very thing against San Antonio time and time again.

[00:05:56]The coverage that Shay gets off these attacks is quite ridiculous when you stop the action and look at it as he has four out of five Spurs defenders around him to stop him from continuing to the rim. And just look at all the options at his disposal. This here is just the start to the tipping point as we're about to dive into the even more special ways he can pick apart this San Antonio team. These finds come in many different ways that have shifted the outcome since game one. And if you would have took the over on Shay's assist, you would have been feeling good right now as if you can play responsibly and you have the means to do so. Price picks is the number one app for sports picks. The playoffs, as we all know, is well underway and we're almost at the finals.

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[00:07:26]Yeah, you heard me right. So either download the app or click the link in my description and let me hear your picks in the comments. Now, when going deeper into how Shay has deconstructed the scheme of this defense, you'll notice that on the most basic level that a theme of this video from the Spurs is just to not care about three-point shooters and only focus on Shay not getting inside. Well, it does work until you consistently give up wide open threes like this.

[00:07:48]>> Caruso again. Again, >> sure, some guys you're not worried about shooting more than others, but right now Caruso is shooting 47% from deep in the playoffs, so it's hurting the Spurs more than they even realize. Being so far over in help like this will be what gets OKC in rhythm since shots become easier and easier the more they help over. But for the times when Shay gets allout double completely, he can pretty much make you pay the same way. The defense assumes that a strong double will knock him off his game how it did in game one.

[00:08:16]But now it's like Shay actually invites the double. Sort of like he's waiting for the defense to play their cards. And then once he sees the hand played, that's when he strikes to make his move with his pass all the way across the court to Case Wallace. Being slightly more patient with these doubles to just not send the pass immediately pays off at times as it ensures you catch the defense off guard so they can't get a hand on it. And just because I say patient doesn't mean he can't make reads quickly. Being patient just means not rushing the play and waiting for the right moment. And right here he could make a pass extra early to avoid any doubles. But this is where patience is displayed to push a little further to make sure the help defender commits fully. And then at this point in the play, there's no more time left before it's too late. So that's when Shay makes this simple yet effective pass over to Jay Will for the three ball. This playmaking ability isn't something that Shay didn't have. It's just that it was something that he didn't need to use as much. We all know Shay to be the guy to go out there and score the ball at a consistent 30 points a night. But the Spurs put a challenge in front of him that he's defeating in real time. Any coverage they throw at him, he's learning to read between the lines to find the real meaning. And then he delivers the answer like it wasn't even difficult.

[00:09:20]>> To the basket.

[00:09:22]Time out. SAN ANTONIO.

[00:09:24]>> Ladies and gentlemen, this is when a player becomes dangerous because when you walk into a series with a game plan of how to stop a player, you lean on it heavy. And of course, if it doesn't work, will you try something else? But here's the thing. Shay is the MVP and doesn't really have any weaknesses when it comes to scoring the ball. So, when he starts mastering the game of turning him into a passer like he is, you now have to play him more slightly straight up. And man, is this not good.

[00:09:48]>> Oh, no.

[00:09:51]Oh, stop it SJ.

[00:09:53]>> Whether he's getting downhill, stopping for a midi, or pulling up from distance, SJ is confident in his game, and he understands how to get to his spots.

[00:10:01]When coming up the floor, I want you to focus on Champini. He shifts his hips to direct Shay to the middle of the floor, which is right to Wimi so they can close him off. Shay then uses this to his advantage to deliver a slight bump to Champi before spinning off towards the basket. But just to throw him off even more, Sheay steps back instead of driving to then drop in that bucket. As he starts to get comfortable with navigating this heavy pressure defense, Sheay starts to look like a polished GPS. As he navigates every detour he has to take perfectly to ultimately end up at his spot on the floor. Sometimes the only way to defeat a defense like this will be to understand how to shift your angles at the right time to get yourself a clean look.

[00:10:37]>> Gets inside it.

[00:10:40]And then other times it's not as clean when the defense still manages to stay with you. So that's when you have to pull out that D-Weed up fake to get the defender in the air and then lean in to draw the contact. See, in basketball, new skills come into the game over time.

[00:10:53]And underneath the skill of being creative comes understanding how to manipulate the defense. Ball screens like this will make the defenders want to get up high to outbeat it. So manipulation number one is the in-n-out to make castle by hard with Shay now able to attack downhill. The manipulation this time is with the footwork. When looking closer, you can see that Shay is going up off the right foot and shooting it with the right as well. In basketball, these are wrong foot finishes, but this is used so Shay can throw off Wimy's timing for the block. And even with that being used, along with the high placement on this floater, Shay barely gets it past Wimi, but does manage to get the bucket. See, manipulation is everywhere on the floor.

[00:11:28]It's just that people don't like it when it gets ugly. So, hold on. Let's really dissect something. When getting the ISO versus Johnson here, it's just one dribble into his drive that the contact from Johnson is initiated. Johnson then continues to hold Shay's arm with two hands until the foul is called. Now, could it be weak and not called? Of course, and that's what I would like.

[00:11:45]But if people are going to hold your arm, well, for the times where that call is missed, you'll also have these times where he won't even allow you to get the grab first or for the help to come over to contest. And instead, he'll initiate the contact first to bump you off and then rise up. pulls back and hits.

[00:12:01]>> Playoff basketball is all about being physical. And sure, people will first miss all the grabs of champagne in here to then get upset about that off arm stun gun, but here's the thing. No matter how light or how hard someone is touching you, you must always diffuse the situation so you can then have a clean look for your next move. Now, don't get me wrong. I do understand that people can love the physical play on one hand and then hate his foul baiting on the other, but I think you should look at things differently and love the game.

[00:12:27]The foul baiting when it comes to shooting is very similar to how Dwight would bait defenders into fouling him for mid-range shots. And some would argue that that era of basketball had a level of physicality that made the games enjoyable. Right now, I believe we see that with Shay, although it might be slightly exaggerated at times. I mean, let's be honest, does this not look like it's straight out of the bag of DW himself? It's a lot that you can say, but when he's creating, regardless if the foul is called or not, shake focus to still knock down the shot.

[00:12:53]>> Alexander pump window for two. nine in a row.

[00:12:57]>> And then other times that threat of him driving makes the defense vulnerable to a step back that connects for straight cash.

[00:13:03]>> Steps back for his first points in for the lead.

[00:13:06]>> And that's what makes this whole thing dangerous moving forward. Because now the question for the Spurs isn't how do we stop Shay from scoring, it's how do we stop him from controlling the entire game. And those are two completely different problems. Because once a player reaches this level mentally, the numbers almost stop mattering for a second. Yeah, the points are going to be there. The assist will stack up. The highlights will flood social media. But the real damage is what he's doing to the shape of the floor itself. Every defender is shifting because of him.

[00:13:32]Every rotation is speeding up because of him. And every mistake is being forced because of him. And this is why playoff basketball is so fascinating to watch in real time. Because every single game really becomes a conversation. One team will throw out a question and the other team responds with an answer. Then after that, the chess match just gets deeper and deeper until eventually somebody runs out of counters. The Spurs came into the series with a legitimate idea.

[00:13:55]Pack the paint, crowd his driving lanes, and force him into traffic. And honestly, early on, it looked like they had something going on, but now Shay is seeing every coverage before it even fully develops. That's why some of these passes don't even look impressive at first glance until you really slow it down. Because the real skill isn't the pass itself. It's recognizing that exact moment that the defense collapses. This is what they call the superstar leap that players make. the game really starts to slow down while everyone else is panicking and you can feel it happening right now in this series. I want to ask you all something. Who do you think will win this series? The Thunder or the Spurs? And I want to talk about this with you all. So, go over to my website whomasteriesvo.com and come join in on the showdown in the debates. There's a lot of things to do over here. We have a whole community.

[00:14:36]You can play games. You can earn points.

[00:14:38]Just come over here and check it out. I hope to see you all soon. And thank you all for your support.