Well, what do you know, amidst all the tanking talk, the Oklahoma City Thunder have moved to above. 500 on the season, improving to 4-3 after a comeback 116-108 victory over the Orlando Magic. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was excellent yet again, dropping 34 points and six dimes in the win.
While the Thunder aren't expected to sustain this level of performance, especially with the resting chicanery they've pulled off in prior seasons to secure better lottery odds, the pieces are in place for the next great iteration of the Thunder. Oklahoma City has promising point guard Josh Giddey and all-world defender Luguentz Dort to flank Gilgeous-Alexander for years to come, and come next season, the second overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft Chet Holmgren will soon join the Thunder's bevy of high-potential youngsters.
In fact, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander implied that the Orlando Magic should have taken Holmgren first instead of Paolo Banchero, even if the 19-year old Magic forward has been impressive to begin his career.
“[Banchero is] physical, plays inside of his game, he has tools,” Gilgeous-Alexander said, per Rylan Stiles and Brandon Rahbar. “[But] Chet Holmgren is the [deserving] #1 pick, by the way.”
While fans shouldn't expect SGA to say anything otherwise, as he would most definitely have his teammate's back 10 times out of 10, the Magic are most definitely justified in selecting Banchero first overall. Banchero immediately stamped his class the moment he stepped foot in the NBA, scoring 20 points in six straight games in addition to flashing his considerable potential as a playmaker. The highflying 6'10 forward is the ideal fit for a team looking for a go-to-guy who can, perhaps at his peak, function as a heliocentric source of offense.
Meanwhile, Holmgren has still a lot left to prove after he suffered a Lisfranc injury in a Pro-Am game. While his talent was in full display during his preseason showings, availability remains a potential NBA star's best ability, and it remains to be seen if his 7-foot, 195-pound frame holds up over the course of multiple seasons. Nonetheless, Gilgeous-Alexander knows the work Holmgren is putting in behind the scenes, so he's in as good a position as any to evaluate just how talented the Thunder rookie is.
At the end of the day, the Thunder will only go as far as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander goes, and it seems as if SGA has elevated his game to begin the 2022-23 campaign. He has gone bonkers in six games, averaging 31.5 points, 6.8 assists, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.3 blocks on 51.8% shooting from the field, and it's frightening to think about just how much better the 24-year old can become.
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