Nov. 22—16 games into this season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is posting the best numbers of his career.

After averaging 18.2 points per game in his first four seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander is almost doubling that this at 31.1 points this year. Gilgeous-Alexander is also dishing out a career-high six assists per game while shooting a career-high 52.6 percent from the field and 90.8 percent from the free throw line.

He’s doing all of it while managing a heavier workload that hasn’t lowered his efficiency.

Last season he posted a usage rate — which calculates the percentage of team possessions that a player either attempts a field goal, free throw or commits a turnover — of 30.8. This season, he has a usage rate of 32.9 usage. Typically, higher volume correlates with larger counting stats, but that isn’t enough to explain Gilgeous-Alexander’s rise.

So what else is different about Gilgeous- Alexander this season? For starters, he’s finally healthy after playing just 91 out of a possible 154 games (59.1 percent) the last two seasons.

Staying healthy is something that’s hampered Gilgeous-Alexander during his time with the Thunder. So far this season, he’s managed to handle the massive workload and minutes he’s been assigned while playing 15 of the team’s 16 games.

The other big reason why Gilgeous-Alexander is a 30-point scorer this season is his change in shot diet.

“His game just continues to get better,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “He’s obviously doing a lot in the midrange right now. His three-point percentage has snuck up to about 40 percent. He’s getting to the line. He’s obviously doing it in every which way.”

After attempting 5.1 3-pointers per game the last two seasons, that number has been reduced to 2.9 attempts this season. Gilgeous-Alexander is also taking more midrange shots this season compared to previous years.

Gilgeous-Alexander is taking half of his shots in the midrange this season, which puts him in the 94th percentile in the league. Last season, that number was just at 41 percent of his shots, the 76th percentile in the league.

Midrange attempts across the league have decreased in recent year, but it’s become the go-to weapon for a top-four scorer in the league.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s free-throw frequency is up too.

After leading the league in drives per game the last two seasons, Gilgeous-Alexander is finally getting a friendly whistle this year. He leads the league in drives once again at 24.4 per game while averaging a career-high 8.2 freethrow attempts this season, tied for eighth-highest in the league.

It’s unlikely Gilgeous-Alexander continues his current scoring pace. Steph Curry, James Harden and Damian Lillard are the only guards in league history who’ve had seasons averaging over 30 points while posting a true shooting percentage of 60 or higher. Despite the potential regression, the way Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring the ball is sustainable.

Maybe the midrange shooting percentage comes down a bit, but he should continue to make his way to the free throw line for easy points.

At 24 years old, Gilgeous-Alexander is entering his prime years and should only get better as he progresses in the NBA.