Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having an elite year for the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging 32.3 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 5.9 APG while shooting 40.0% from beyond the arc. There’s no doubt that the guard has improved in every area, and he should definitely be part of the All-Star game.
Due to his production, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten a lot of attention in the NBA world. In fact, the guard has been hyped even among NBA executives, with one person suggesting that he has been the second-best player in the league behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. There have been others who have put him over established superstars like Ja Morant as well.
“Shai’s better then Paul George right now & going forward” – Tim MacMahon
“A league executive last night texted me that there’s only one player playing definitely playing better then Shai this season, that’s Giannis” – Tim Bontemps pic.twitter.com/JEv6DX3R8a
— TF (@ThunderFocus) November 18, 2022
“A executive texted me last night watching the game. He said there’s only one player in the league right now playing definitely playing better then Shai this season, that’s Giannis. You can argue other people… but he’s in the conversation with guys like Luka, like Tatum, like Jokic, like Embiid.”
There’s no doubt that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has had a really good year thus far, but it is a little early to put him over established superstars. All of those stars have been able to bring their teams to the playoffs and win series in the postseason, while Gilgeous-Alexander has never been to the playoffs as a No. 1 option.
With that being said, it is quite possible that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will manage to bring his team to the playoffs in the future and play winning basketball. His production is certainly impressive, and he’s making a case to be a top-15 player in the league.
The Oklahoma City Thunder Don’t Plan On Trading Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Though there have been many suggestions that the Oklahoma City Thunder might trade Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the future due to them being a rebuilding team, GM Sam Presti stated that the team has no such plans.
“The only reason we’re talking about it is because another player on another team got traded. The aggregation machine is empty now, so we need a little more content. No one is out to try to disrupt the Thunder or create problems for the Thunder. It’s just this is the business we work in. You shouldn’t be surprised by that because there needs to be content. It’s a business.”
“We have a pretty long runway with this particular team. Shai is just entering pre-prime years. Josh, Chet, some of the other guys we have, are still a few years away from getting to that point. But at some point here in the near future, you’re going to have those tenures overlap, so to speak, and that’s extremely exciting when you think about the progress that the guys have made.”
As of right now, it is quite obvious that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the foreseeable future. He is the best player on the team and is producing at a superstar level.
Hopefully, we see the Oklahoma City Thunder will manage to build a good team around Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the future. He is definitely a talented player, and perhaps he could lead the team to the playoffs if surrounded by a better squad.
