Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is NBA MVP, and he could be so much more than that

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander zoomed past Jarrett Allen for his first bucket of the night in the highly anticipated rematch between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. He got Georges Niang on a switch, stopped on a dime, and flowed into a beautiful mid-range pull-up for his second basket. On the next Thunder possession, SGA backed down Max Strus, created space with a step-back, and drained another mid-range jumper. He closed the first quarter with three straight buckets: a driving righty layup over the 7’4 wingspan of Evan Mobley, a transition layup after poking the ball away from Strus, and a transition pull-up three from the top of the key over Caris LeVert before the Cavs defense could get set.

The Thunder had already turned this possible NBA Finals preview into rout by the first quarter — and SGA out-scored Cleveland by himself, 15-14. Cleveland won a thriller in this matchup on their home floor just a week earlier, but round two was never close, highlighting the biggest difference between two powerhouse teams cruising at 70+ win pace through the first half of the season.

The Cavs have a legitimate argument for four All-Stars this year, but they don’t have anyone like Gilgelous-Alexander. At 26 years old, SGA has definitively claimed the title of the best guard alive (sorry, Luka). The NBA hasn’t seen a guard this productive since prime James Harden in Houston, but in many ways the Thunder star’s peak may already be higher. Each week, it feels like there’s a new stat placing Gilgeous-Alexander alongside Michael Jordan.

Such a comparison is blasphemous right now for two big reasons: Gilgeous-Alexander currently has zero MVPs and zero NBA championships. Of course, Jordan didn’t have a ring at 26 years old, either, though he did have one MVP and one Defensive Player of the Year award. From age-27 on, Jordan went on a legendary run of six championships and four more MVPs … and both numbers easily could have been higher.

If anyone is set up to match that type of run from this generation, it’s SGA. As the Thunder blasted the Cavs on Thursday night, Gilgeous-Alexander feels like he’s finally the definitive front-runner to win MVP this season. The Thunder sure feel like the definitive favorite to win the NBA championship this year, too.

This season from Gilgeous-Alexander will go down as historic. He’s leading the league in scoring at 31.6 points per game while shooting 60 percent on two-pointers and 90 percent on free throws. His combination of usage and scoring efficiency is unmatched: at 34 percent usage and 64.2 percent true shooting, SGA is having a season that only 2021 Steph Curry can match as a guard. In terms of all-in-one stats, he’s leading the league in EPM and win shares, he’s tied for first in VORP (with Nikola Jokic), and he’s second (behind Jokic) in BPM and PER. The list of players to average at least 31 points and two steals per game is six MJ years, two Allen Iverson years, a Harden year, and this season from Gilgeous-Alexander.

Critics of the NBA decry the league for homogeny in terms of style of play and the proliferation of the three-point shot. Well, no one plays like Gilgeous-Alexander. He’s a solid three-point shooter (35 percent on 5.8 attempts per game), but it’s one of the weaker parts of his skill set. Instead, SGA is a damn slinky with the rock (hat-tip to old pal Caitlin Cooper), capable of bending his way around any defender with an overflowing bag of crossovers and finishes. No one moves the way Shai does with the basketball in his hands, and so no defender can prepare for his funky scoring package.

The Thunder are on pace to win 70 games despite missing their second best player, Chet Holmgren, since Nov. 10 with a hip injury. They have stayed far out in front in the West thanks to the combination of a historically good defense and Gilgeous-Alexander’s instant offense. SGA has played every game for OKC this year, and he’s led them in scoring in 32 of their 40 games. The Thunder have complementary talent up and down the roster, but there’s no question who is driving their remarkable success.

The Thunder are starting a run that has the potential to be legendary. Shai is fully in his prime, while Holmgren is 22 years old and Jalen Williams is 23. Oh by the way, the Thunder also own multiple first-round picks in every draft through 2029. They can trade for basically any player in the league, and they can keep stocking the roster with cost-controlled young players. Top executive Sam Presti doesn’t miss much.

Eight years ago, SGA was the sixth highest-rated recruit entering Kentucky behind Jarred Vanderbilt, Hamidou Diallo, Nick Richards, Kevin Knox, and P.J. Washington. He immediately became that team’s best player, and was drafted No. 11 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers traded him for Paul George after a solid rookie season. SGA played off Chris Paul in his first year in Oklahoma City, then starred for tanking teams the next two seasons. Ever since, he’s been playing at an MVP finalist level. He’s probably going to win his first this year.

If you want to call SGA the best player on the planet — ahead of Jokic and Giannis — I’m not going to argue with you. He is a scoring supernova who can win 1-on-1 vs. just about anyone. It’s so hard just to win one championship, so no one should raise the Thunder’s banner before it happens. The Cavs or Celtics could get them this year, as could any number of challengers in the West. Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs are coming for Shai’s future rings and future MVPs.

It just isn’t hard to imagine a future where the Thunder become a dynasty, and Gilgeous-Alexander goes down as one of the best guards in league history. The Canadian star is verging on legendary territory. What a joy it will be to watch his journey to see if he can really get there.