Oklahoma City Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has earned the respect of his NBA peers with his MVP-caliber play this season.
It turns out rap superstar Drake is a fan as well.
After his show in Oklahoma City, Drake shouted out the Thunder guard from the stage:
“He’s the future of the NBA…. His name is Shai Gilgeous-[Alexander]. He loves the f*ck out of y’all!”
Drake after his show in Oklahoma City 🙌
(via @ThunderFilmRoom) pic.twitter.com/ALYcUdChrt
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 20, 2024
Said Drake, “He’s the future of the NBA…. His name is Shai Gilgeous-[Alexander]. He loves the f*ck out of y’all!”
While Gilgeous-Alexander may indeed be the future of the NBA, he and the Thunder seem to be doing pretty well in the present. SGA has led Oklahoma City to a 47-20 record, tops in the NBA Western Conference standings.
The Thunder are young and talented, with ample room to grow via a multitude of draft picks and space for players to grow into their primes, but they're no doubt led by Gilgeous-Alexander, who is surely in the NBA MVP conversation this season.
SGA for MVP
While the race for MVP is probably closer this season than it has been in recent years, Gilgeous-Alexander has to be considered the leader at this point. The Thunder guard currently tops ClutchPoints' MVP rankings.
As ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel writes, “Just this past week, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder took down the Dallas Mavericks 126-119, a game in which the young guard had 31 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Gilgeous-Alexander now has 49 games with at least 30 points this season, which is four more than Mavs star Luka Doncic with 45 such games. Basically, SGA is recording 30 points three times every four games, which is 75 percent of the season.
Some may point to him and say that he is the only true scoring weapon on his team, but Gilgeous-Alexander's numbers aren't inflated whatsoever. He is just a natural scoring machine that breaks defenses apart in order to get to his spot. After all, Shai ranks third in made shots per game and is shooting over 50 percent from the floor. None of his numbers are “empty stats,” as some people like to say for stars on bad teams.
In addition to putting the Thunder at the top of the Western Conference, Gilgeous-Alexander also has a season-long advantage over Jokic and the Nuggets after defeating them three out of four times this year. He leads the league in 30-point games, he leads the league in total points scored, his team is the best in a loaded Western Conference, and he owns the head-to-head record this season. Right now, Gilgeous-Alexander has to be the favorite for his first NBA MVP award.”
Thunder coach Mark Daigneaul is thrilled with SGA's play this year but doesn't think that his star guard is actively seeking out the honor.
“What he’s done in his career at this point and what he’s done for our team this season, doesn’t need to be validated by an award,” said Daigneaul.
SGA and the Thunder next take on the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.
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