Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seemed like a nice pickup for Oklahoma City Thunder, a secondary piece in the trade that sent Paul George to the LA Clippers four years ago.
Gilgeous-Alexander has turned out to be more than an afterthought β much more.
He has blossomed into an All-Star, the unquestioned leader of the Thunderβs rebuilding efforts and the centerpiece of a Canadian national team that could be a medal contender at the Paris Games next summer. He ranks fourth in the league in scoring with 31.5 points per game β behind Joel Embiid, Luka DonΔiΔ and Damian Lillard, and just ahead of two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
He doesnβt grab as many national headlines as the other top scorers β in part because the Thunder (38-42) havenβt been competitive the past two years. Now, Oklahoma City is battling for a spot in the Play-In Tournament with DonΔiΔ and the Dallas Mavericks heading into their game Thursday night at Utah.
“Itβs been fun,” said Gilgeous-Alexander, 24, who was selected 11th overall by the Clippers in the 2018 draft after he spent a year at Kentucky. “My favorite part is the team success. There is no better feeling than winning games, and thatβs all I wanted to focus on coming into the season. And with focusing on that, the individual success just followed.”
Oklahoma City has been reeling from the long-term effects of losing Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and George, among others, to trades and free agency. A franchise that reached the Western Conference finals four times and the NBA Finals once the previous decade hasnβt made the playoffs since 2020.
The 6-foot-6 Gilgeous-Alexander is giving Thunder fans hope and management reasons to build around him.
While his rise has been mostly off the radar, itβs nonetheless impressive. Two seasons ago, he scored 23.7 points per game and last season, his average increased to 24.5. He missed the final month of last season with a sore right ankle, but recovered and dominated for Canadaβs national team in the summer.
He carried that international momentum into this season and will join Durant and Westbrook as the only Thunder players to average at least 30 points for an entire season. Durant and Westbrook won MVP and the scoring title in their highest-scoring seasons for Oklahoma City β Durant averaged 32.0 points in 2013-14 and Westbrook produced 31.6 per game in 2016-17.
Gilgeous-Alexander might have to settle for the Most Improved Player award,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at FOX Sports Digitalβ¦