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It’s become common knowledge over the last couple of seasons that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a rising star in the Association, but I don’t think anyone expected him to be a legitimate MVP contender in 2023-24.
That’s exactly what SGA is doing, though. While he may not beat out Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic for the prestigious award, the Canadian is putting up godly numbers for the Thunder, who are heading into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
The mentality that Gilgeous-Alexander has on the court didn’t come from nowhere, either. He’s taken note of what LeBron James has done for 20+ years in the league and used it in his own way to be great.
Via ESPN:
“It’s a mentality,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “The skill stuff I just hammer away at. But what makes a great player is how they carry that to the court. How they control fourth quarters and win games.
“LeBron [James] is LeBron because for 20 some odd years he’s controlled games.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander undoubtedly controls games for this young, resilient OKC squad and he’s the No. 1 reason they’ve gone from play-in team to postseason contender.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander balling out
SGA is averaging an impressive 30.3 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.5 rebounds on 36.5% shooting from downtown this season. He ranks third in the NBA in scoring behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Doncic. Although Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t played since March 31st due to a quadriceps injury, he’ll remain in the MVP talk.
There was one specific player who had a massive impact on SGA’s development and that was Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul. CP3 played just 17 months with the former Kentucky standout in OKC but Gilgeous-Alexander made sure to soak up all the knowledge possible from Paul, one of the best to ever do it at the position.
“Shai is just a basketball junkie,” Paul told ESPN. “Even now, we might be on the phone watching a game, just talking about what we see.”
After COVID-19 hit in 2020 and the world shut down, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander used those months ahead before the bubble to develop his game and his body. When he arrived in Orlando, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was blown away by SGA’s transformation.
“He was on a mission,” Daigneault said. “We had three weeks of practice before we started playing games. I was an assistant coach at the time, and we were playing against each other for a bunch of time. Dennis Schroder and Chris Paul were on one team and he was on the other, and that was the first time you were like, ‘Whoa.’
“He had the ball a little bit more, and he wasn’t trying to fit in as much with those guys. He was just kind of rocking, and it was also on the heels of all that work. So the convergence of those two things … . Everybody recognized that maybe there’s another gear here.
“He wasn’t this good when we traded for him. He’s forged himself into this player.”
Gilgeous-Alexander always had talent. I mean, I’m sure the Los Angeles Clippers are kicking themselves now for sending him to OKC in the Paul George blockbuster after seeing the youngster turn into an MVP candidate.
But for Thunder fans, they couldn’t be happier to have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the face of the franchise.
More must-reads:
- Clippers make key decision regarding Kawhi Leonard's status
- Report: Kevin Durant 'never felt comfortable' in Suns' offense
- The 'Most points in a playoff game by team' quiz
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