Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was at his dominant best on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 113-105 win at Paycom Center. Gilgeous-Alexander is in the midst of another phenomenal season and Anthony Edwards told ESPN that Shai is the MVP.
“To me, he’s unguardable,” Edwards said. “As far as any one-on-one matchup, yeah, you can go on and give it up. Just give him two points most of the time. So I think you got to trap him. Maybe that don’t work, but you got to try it. For sure you got to send a second body, especially if he got a favorable matchup. Anytime he got somebody that he knows can’t guard him, ah, he going to score every time.”
The Timberwolves certainly couldn’t find a way to slow down Gilgeous-Alexander. The 26-year-old had 40 points (15-23 FG), three rebounds, two assists, and four steals in the contest. He scored 19 points in the third quarter alone to help the Thunder seize control.
Nikola Jokic has won three of the last four MVPs and has been the leading contender for the award for much of this season as well. Edwards thinks it’s time for a new winner, though.
“I don’t know if they could give it to [Jokic] again,” said Edwards. “Yeah, I would say Shai. Yeah, he’s looking like the MVP, man. He was incredible once again tonight.”
Edwards also praised Gilgeous-Alexander for his consistency and added that the Thunder guard should have won MVP last season.
“He’s consistent every night. His team gonna give him the ball and just let him rock out every night. It’s nothing to think about. ‘Hey, get Shai the ball and he going to get busy, and then we’re going to figure it out after that.’ I love watching that. It’s incredible, man. If he is keeping him like that, I hope they give [MVP] to him this year for sure. I feel like he should have won it last year, but he’s playing out his mind right now.”
Gilgeous-Alexander finished runner-up to Jokic last season but there’s a good chance they’ll swap this time around. The two-time All-Star has led the Thunder to an excellent 27-5 record while averaging 31.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game.
Jokic’s Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, are currently 18-13 on the season. While the Serbian’s averages of 31.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game are outrageous, the huge advantage Gilgeous-Alexander has in terms of team record might just get him the award this time.
As for Edwards, who had 20 points on the night, he won’t be part of the MVP conversation. He hasn’t had a great season and this loss to the Thunder dropped the Timberwolves to 17-15. To say it has been a disappointing campaign would be an understatement.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Reacts To Anthony Edwards Calling Him MVP
Gilgeous-Alexander was informed about Edwards’ comments in his postgame press conference. He admitted it is quite special to hear that from another player, especially one of that caliber.
“It’s a really good feeling,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “No offense to you guys in the media, but the best satisfaction is when your peers and the guys that do the same thing for a living at a very high level that you do, recognize and respect your craft and your talent. That’s a really good feeling, obviously with the caliber player he is. The sky is the limit. Hard-fought battle tonight but yeah, it feels real good.”
It does mean a lot more to hear that from a player than the media or fans. It’s not often that we hear a player speak that glowingly of another and it’s a testament to Gilgeous-Alexander’s greatness. He will be in action next against the Los Angeles Clippers, his former team, at Paycom Center on Thursday at 8 PM ET.
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