Oklahoma City is riding its superstar to a somewhat surprising 8-2 start, and his outside shooting has been one of the most intriguing pieces of his game. 

On Saturday night, the Thunder won their fourth game in a row behind a 30-point night from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Having won back-to-back MVPs, Gilgeous-Alexander is already making a case to join the elite club of players to win the award three straight years. 

Considering the Thunder’s injury situation, Gilgeous-Alexander’s narrative for another MVP trophy is clear, and keeping his team atop the Western Conference again should earn him plenty of votes. While winning an MVP is far from his top goal, it would be a nice cherry on top of another incredible season. 

However, one of the biggest questions surrounding Gilgeous-Alexander is his ability to keep up his production while the Thunder are missing so many key pieces. Through the first couple of weeks of the season, he may have found his solution from beyond the arc. 

Through the first 10 games of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander has attempted a career-high 23.2 shots per game, which has also come with a career-high 6.9 3-point attempts per game. Along with taking the highest number of threes in his career, Gilgeous-Alexander’s 3-point attempt rate is at 29.7%, a sizeable jump from his 22.6% rate a season ago, showing his outside shot volume is more than just a product of his overall volume increase. 

Perhaps most importantly, Gilgeous-Alexander is knocking those threes down at a 39.1% clip, good for the second-best mark of his career. A slight improvement from his 38.6% mark a season ago, Gilgeous-Alexander’s 3-point shot has become a much more reliable weapon over the past few seasons, and it’s paid off to begin this one. 

It’s always possible that Gilgeous-Alexander’s volume or efficiency from beyond the arc will drop over the course of the next 72 games, but his numbers to begin this season are certainly eye-opening. Taking and hitting threes at this rate should help keep Gilgeous-Alexander fresher throughout the season, as it means he won’t necessarily need to drive as often or take on as much contact inside.

In any case, Gilgeous-Alexander has blossomed into one of the most complete scorers in league history, and if his past is any indication, this 3-point shooting bump won’t be going away anytime soon. As he looks to continue leading the Thunder to wins, the two-time MVP will likely be doing some significant damage from deep range.