Is SGA already the greatest Thunder player ever?

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already the greatest Thunder player ever?

By Sai Mohan | Last updated May 23, 2025 9:06 AM ET

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved why he's the rightful MVP of the NBA with a 38-point masterpiece against the Timberwolves in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday.

The performance marked SGA's fifth consecutive 30-point game in the playoffs, giving him a new Thunder franchise record. The feat of consistency eluded past Thunder/Sonics greats such as Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Gary Payton and "Downtown" Freddie Brown.

SGA's last 5 games:

38 PTS | 31 PTS | 35 PTS | 32 PTS | 31 PTS

He's the FIRST player in Thunder franchise history to record 5 consecutive 30+ PT games in the playoffs https://t.co/zBX0Qki5E5 pic.twitter.com/qLcg3I84Qz
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2025

SGA has been arguably the most effective of the three Thunder MVPs over the last decade. While he didn't average a triple-double like Westbrook, he tallied the most points among the trio at the most efficient clip, while leading the Thunder to a franchise-record 68 wins.

Furthermore, he led the league in plus/minus at +918, the best net rating since Stephen Curry's 2014-15 MVP season. In comparison, Durant and Westbrook were +721 and +249, respectively, during their MVP seasons.

Rank these Thunder MVP seasons.

KD:
— 32.0 PPG
— 7.4 RPG
— 5.5 APG
— 50/39/87%

Shai:
— 32.7 PPG
— 5.0 RPG
— 6.4 APG
— 52/38/90%

Russ:
— 31.6 PPG
— 10.7 RPG
— 10.4 APG
— 43/34/85% pic.twitter.com/f85CJkOuyq
— StatMuse (@statmuse) May 21, 2025

The numbers suggest that SGA may already be the greatest player in franchise history. Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas believes the Toronto native would surpass Durant and Westbrook if he could guide the Thunder to their first championship since 1979.

Arenas argued that Durant, who left Oklahoma City for Golden State in 2016, lost grace with the Thunder fanbase for never delivering a title before his acrimonious departure.

“I think with KD, the way it ended, I think they were like 'Cool, we'll switch you out.' [Explective] KD's record," Arenas said. "I think with Russ, it’s going to be a little better because they loved Russ. If he [Shai] wins it, I think it's a high probability because of the championship, he has something no one has. It's gonna put him right there. He's gonna be the best player in OKC history."

If SGA wins a championship he will be the best OKC player of all-time pic.twitter.com/Zq9UjAsojO
— Gil’s Arena (@GilsArenaShow) May 21, 2025

SGA and the Thunder are six wins away from hanging a banner. They are the overwhelming betting favorites to win the 2025 NBA title.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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