OKLAHOMA CITY — If the World Cup was an indicator, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder have much to look forward to this season. Gilgeous-Alexander made the All-Tournament team at this summer’s event and generated the kind of buzz that had eluded him for much of his career. He averaged 24.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists in eight games for Canada, including a 31-point, 12-assist output in the bronze medal win over the United States. “It was great that he got to do that on the world stage — like, the whole world could see that, and he’s getting better every year,” said Lu Dort, Gilgeous-Alexander’s teammate on both the Thunder and the Canadian teams. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.4 points per game for the Thunder last season and was an All-NBA first-team selection before turning in the dynamic World Cup performance. Now, the 25-year-old star is primed to help Oklahoma City turn the corner on its rebuild and improve on last year’s 40-42 season that ended in the Play-In Tournament. Gilgeous-Alexander hopes a World Cup that included wins over France, then-No. 1-ranked Spain and Luka Doncic-led Slovenia helps him enter the season sharper. “One of the reasons why I wanted to play Canada basketball in the summer is because it gives you a little bit more run and a little bit more bump before the preseason,” he said. “In the summer I’ve always tried to find pickup games to do so, but there’s nothing better than a real game, real rush, real opponents. Yes, it feels like it’s helpful and we’ll see if it will be very helpful.” Davis Bertans, traded from Dallas to Oklahoma City on draft night, found out first-hand just how good his new teammate would be when he faced him at the World Cup. Gilgeous-Alexander had 27 points, six rebounds and six assists in Canada’s 101-75 win over Latvia in group play. “We had a tough job that we couldn’t handle during the World Cup,” Bertans said. “He was the guy that went off in the second half and kind of, you know, put us in the ground at that moment.” More success and accolades might be in store for the 6-foot-6 guard. “Well, it’s all he’s ever done is improve, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s better,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. Gilgeous-Alexander is not interested in setting specific team or individual
