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Jeff Teague Sounds Off on How Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 'Saved the NBA'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated May 29, 2025 12:02 PM ET

Former NBA guard Jeff Teague, who has become even more popular after retiring from the league due to his podcast "Club 520," recently had a strong take on Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Teague, who won the 2021 NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, said he believes Gilgeous-Alexander "saved the NBA" by mastering the mid-range game and winning MVP.

"I wanna say something about SGA, though," Teague said. "I think SGA saved the NBA. I guess is what I’m saying. I’m not saying 'cause of how he performed, but the way he play, he saved the NBA 'cause the NBA is a copycat league and he perfected the mid-range game.

"So he brought back the ability to be able to shoot mid-range shots because the game was either a three or a layup. I got crucified in Minnesota for wanting to shoot a mid-range shot if it wasn’t a three or a layup for analytics. And him being the MVP and his go-to shot is a mid-range shot, he literally just saved the NBA."

Analytics has taken over the NBA. Teams want their players to shoot 3-pointers or layups. Not many guys in the league are shooting mid-range shots.

However, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the few players in the NBA who still shoots mid-range jumpers. The All-Star led the league in total points and points per game this season. He's the first Thunder player to win MVP since Russell Westbrook took home the award in 2017.

OKC beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in the conference finals to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. will face either the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points during the regular season. He's averaging 29.8 points in the postseason through 16 games.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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