New Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently opened up about the trade that sent him to his new team. As made evident by this interview, the 21-year-old does seem to be wise beyond his years, as he explained how he has harnessed no hard feelings whatsoever following the decision by the Los Angeles Clippers to trade him to OKC:
Last night at #Fashionable50, @shaiglalex talked about being traded to the Thunder: "It wasn't as hard of a hit as it seemed" pic.twitter.com/sRkiIDTAIo
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 19, 2019
Gilegous-Alexander was part of the blockbuster trade between the Thunder and Clippers centered around Paul George. While the significance of this deal for Oklahoma City focuses on the massive coup of draft picks secured from the Clippers, the addition of Gilgeous-Alexander might actually end up as a pretty sneaky win for the team.
In his rookie year, the former Kentucky standout averaged 10.8 points (on 47.6 percent shooting), 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 26.5 minutes per contest. While rather modest, Gilegous-Alexander showed a ton of promise and earned himself a significant role in Clippers head coach Doc Rivers' rotation.
In the interview, Gilegous-Alexander also touched on the prospect of playing alongside former Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul, who is widely considered one of the greatest point guards in the league's history. Provided Paul is not shipped off before the start of the new season, Gilegous-Alexander would be in a great position to learn from the nine-time All-Star.
As he stated, this league is a business, and each and every player must be prepared for anything. For his part, Gilegous-Alexander appears to have landed in an excellent spot, and he appears more than willing to pounce on the opportunity that has been handed to him.
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