Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a historic season with the Thunder, where he led them to their first-ever NBA championship and won multiple individual honors on the way to doing that. He undoubtedly had the greatest single season as a Thunder player among all the legends who have played in that jersey.
Does that make him the greatest player to ever put on a Thunder jersey? Not necessarily. But the former NBA player, Jeff Teague, believes otherwise. He thinks that Gilgeous-Alexander has already done enough to be considered the greatest player in the Thunder’s all-time history.
On the Club 520 podcast’s latest episode, Jeff Teague and his friends addressed the debate of who is the greatest player in Thunder history. While Teague initially felt Russell Westbrook deserved that crown, he eventually conceded and changed his mind to say Gilgeous-Alexander is indeed the greatest player in Thunder history.
“Russ number one man… Shai will be number one, but Russ is still number one right now,” he said initially. But after his friends explained to him how Gilgeous-Alexander has already accomplished everything Westbrook did and even did what Westbrook couldn’t do, he seemingly changed his mind.
“Nah, Shai’s the best. I’m thinking about it, he averaged 32 points a game… I’m going to go with Russ number two. KD three just because I think Russ… I’m speaking for their fan base probably.”
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook spent nearly a decade each with the Thunder. In his nine seasons with the Thunder, Durant averaged 27.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He won the scoring title, the regular season MVP award in 2014, and took the Thunder to their first NBA Finals trip after they moved away from Seattle.
In the 11 seasons that Westbrook spent on the Thunder, he averaged 23.0 points, 8.4 assists, and 7.0 rebounds. He won the scoring title as well on multiple occasions, led the league in assists, and became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season. He achieved that astonishing feat for three seasons in a row before finally leaving the Thunder to join the Rockets.
Only a thin margin of difference separates Westbrook and Durant, in my opinion, as they both significantly contributed to the Thunder’s growth over the years, which has now helped them reach where they are presently.
However, I have to agree with Teague here, since Gilgeous-Alexander has achieved in six seasons what neither of those two players could do after devoting almost a decade out of each of their careers to the Thunder.
Hence, despite averaging only 27.4 points, 5.5 assists, and 5.2 rebounds in his Thunder career, his achievements of a championship and the Finals MVP award in the same season in which he won the scoring title and the regular season MVP award, he is now a head and shoulders above Durant and Westbrook in Thunder history.
Let us know what you think in the comments section.
