Doc Rivers claims to have always been a believer in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s talents but even he didn’t think the guard would be this good. Before the Milwaukee Bucks took on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, Rivers claimed he knew Gilgeous-Alexander, whom he coached as a rookie, would be a star before the Los Angeles Clippers traded him in 2019.
“I don’t think anybody in the world saw this in him,” Rivers said. “We did think he was going to be really, really good. I thought he was going to be a star. I said it when we traded him. But to see this, I don’t think anyone can honestly say they knew he was going to be this special.”
Gilgeous-Alexander himself might not have believed he’d become this good back then. He had a solid rookie season, averaging 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in 2018-19. You saw a lot of potential in him but you couldn’t have imagined he’d turn out to be this good.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the MVP favorite as of now with averages of 33.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game in 2024-25. The 26-year-old has led the Thunder to a 56-12 record and has established himself as one of the best players in the NBA.
The Clippers certainly would be rueing their decision to trade Gilgeous-Alexander six years ago. They sent him, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and four first-round pick swaps to the Thunder for Paul George. It has now gone down as one of the worst trades in NBA history but did make some sense at the time.
The Clippers were in win-now mode and needed another star to pair with Kawhi Leonard, who was set to join as a free agent. George, who had finished third in MVP and DPOY voting in 2019, seemed like the ideal partner for Leonard. His stock was at an all-time high then, though, which meant you’d have had to give up a lot for him.
The Clippers decided to take the leap and it backfired. They never won anything with Leonard and George and the latter left for the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency in 2024. They’re now stuck in the middle of the pack in the West while Gilgeous-Alexander has the Thunder at the top of the standings in the conference.
As for the game against his former head coach, Gilgeous-Alexander put up 31 points (11-27 FG), two rebounds, eight assists, and one block in a 121-105 win over the Bucks. Rivers probably would have been imagining what might have been, as he saw his former player putting on a show against his team.
Lou Williams Claims Clippers Players Were Crushed When Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Was Traded
While Rivers didn’t think Gilgeous-Alexander would be this good, Lou Williams, who was a Clipper from 2017 to 2021, claims he did. Williams stated Clippers players were heartbroken when Shai was traded for George.
“We were heartbroken when he got traded. Absolutely, we were crushed,” Williams said. “Even though it was for PG. We knew who PG was, but we had spent so much time and energy just being instrumental in his career and his development. Just making sure he’s getting extra shots. He was so open to information, so open to learning, and wanted to be great. We knew he was going to be one of those players.”
Well, those players saw something that no one else did then. You wonder how different recent NBA history would have been had the Clippers held on to Gilgeous-Alexander. Would they have won a championship by now? We’ll never know for sure.
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