The Oklahoma City Thunder wrapped up the No. 1 seed for themselves with a dominant 135-86 win over a depleted Dallas Mavericks squad. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander opened up on the end of the regular season and his MVP chances, hoping to secure the trophy but admitting other candidates deserve the trophy as well.
“I hope I get it, yes. I think all the guys are deserving, all have their case. Whatever happens, happens. But whoever gets it is deserving for sure.”
Thunder coach and favorite for Coach of the Year, Mark Daigneault gave a detailed explanation of why Shai should be awarded this season’s MVP as well.
“There is not a night where I don’t feel like we have the best player on the floor. We’re a top-five defense, top-five offense. He’s a two-end player that contributes to both of those things. I think his consistency, his poise, his confidence has had an unbelievably contagious effect on one of the youngest teams in the league, one of the youngest teams in history to accomplish what this team accomplished… When you look at what he did this year, what seeds he’s planted in previous years, there’s no one I’d rather have on our team than him.”
Shai averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game this season. He is the primary reason behind the Thunder emerging ahead of Nikola Jokic‘s Nuggets in the standings, which could swing many late votes in Shai’s direction. Luka Doncic‘s team record is just too low to justify handing him the award, even though his numbers are likely the most impressive of the three.
This three-horse MVP race will be decided by narrow margins, but it seems it might be Jokic’s to lose at this point. Shai earning the No. 1 seed might edge him back ahead of Doncic for No. 2 in the MVP ladder, but it might be hard for him to also jump Jokic as a result.
Does Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Deserve To Be Crowned MVP?
If Gilgeous-Alexander is the first player of the iconic 2018 NBA Draft Class to win an MVP, it will be an incredible achievement. Since entering the league, Shai has seen Doncic and Trae Young be talked about as the elite guards in the league. After sharing All-NBA First Team with Doncic last season, this season has established him on a similar plane as a superstar, though SGA is still behind Luka in production.
Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists this season, leading the Mavs to 50 wins despite a series of injuries to teammates such as Kyrie Irving. Doncic is 16-1 in the last 17 games of the season that he played, going into the playoffs as arguably the hottest player in the NBA.
Shai will likely beat Doncic in the MVP voting as the No. 1 seed will prompt more voters to support Shai’s case over Doncic. But everyone’s been talking about the MVP race heading in Nikola Jokic’s direction.
Jokic is averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists this season, with a No. 1 seed likely locking up the MVP as his award without a second thought. He still should be the front-runner given how highly voters have valued his performances all season, but Shai has a credible argument to challenge Jokic.
The results of this MVP race will be interesting and hopefully add motivation to the two players who fail to secure the trophy.
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