Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten a feel for the playoff atmosphere, as his eighth-seeded L.A. Clippers have spent more than a week exchanging blows with the Golden State Warriors. Clippers coach Doc Rivers had hoped two of his rookie guards has seen the intensity of high-pressure games after taking part in the NCAA Tournament, the next-best precursor to these bright lights in the sport.
It quickly became evident that the spotlight in the NBA is much different, but fortunately for the Kentucky product, this process of adaptation is one he's welcomed with open arms.
“Coaches prepare you for it, but there’s nothing like it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the playoffs, according to Paolo Ugetti of The Ringer. “Not a lot of guys get to experience it, and I’ve learned so much from it that I’ll never forget.”
Shamet is a year and a half older than Gilgeous-Alexander and admitted he can still see the “fresh-out-of college” tendencies in SGA, adding: “He’s so easy to play with and get along with… I think if you don’t get along with Shai, you’re probably the problem.”
SGA put up an impressive 18 points in his rookie playoff debut in Game 1, but regressed to scoring seven and four points respectively in the next two games.
Gilgeous-Alexander's breakthrough would come in Game 4, as he went toe-to-toe with Klay Thompson in the first quarter, finishing the game with a team-high 25 points, shedding any nerves he might have had in the first few games of the series.
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