Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Deserves Your Respect and He Deserves it Now

 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Deserves Your Respect and He Deserves it Now  


  In the preseason we all make picks on who will win the conferences, Finals, MVP, and so on so forth. One of the picks that was made by me was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being the most improved player. That man is making me more and more right by the day. Going into the season watching Gilgeous-Alexander you could see there was potential. Personally in the deal that shipped Paul George to the Clippers and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, other players, and picks to the Thunder Gilgeous-Alexander was the pick up for the Thunder for me. Being drafted 11th overall by the Hornets then swapped to Clippers he showed he had great potential on that 2018 Clippers team that had a lot of fight. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had improved a lot his second season made me think he was bound for a big leap in the 2020-2021 season. That leap is here and Gilgeous-Alexander is making me look real good right now let’s review how by the numbers. 


  Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the most improved player in the 2020-2021 season. In just 21 games Gilgeous-Alexander averages 22.6 points, 5.5 total rebounds, 6.5 assists, shooting 51% from the field, while also shooting 38% from three. Gilgeous-Alexander is a commander of the court, and is developing to become one of the best guards we have in this league. Those are his averages in his third season and he’s only 22 Gilgeous-Alexander is a problem. Nonetheless the point is he’s the most improved which he is. In Gilgeous-Alexander rookie season in 2018 he averaged 10.8 PTS 3.3 AST 2.8 TRB, shot 47% from the field, while shooting 34% from the three. Not great numbers but not a terrible rookie season. Especially when you are not the starter or the desirable top 5 pick. Gilgeous-Alexander was traded in the 2019 offseason to the Thunder. Switching places is hard for veterans, a second year player it’ll be tough to get adjusted to an offense. Not for Shai he averaged more points with 19.0 PTS, had the same amount of assists with 3.3 AST, but averaged three more rebounds with 5.9 TRB, shot better from the field with 48%, and much better from three by shooting 37% from behind the line. Gilgeous-Alexander improved drastically compared to his first two seasons which made me believe this was the year for his jump. 


  He did exactly that in the 2020-2021 season with even more drastic improvement in his game. He averages 12 points more than he did in his rookie season, he has two more assists than last season, he’s the same at rebounding but he averages two more rebounds than he did his rookie season, shooting 4% better from the field, and his three point shot has gone up by 1-2 percentile each year. He is the most improved player. He went from a rookie of the year candidate to a good young guard to an All Star who could build your team around in a guard driven league. It doesn’t seem like Shai is going to slow down either. In the last five games he’s played he averages 24.8 PTS, 

7 AST, and 5.8 TRB. Those averages are all better than what he averages now. In the month of February as a whole he averaged 26.3 PTS, 7.3 AST, 6.0 TRB, shooting 48% from the field, and 42% from behind the arc. He is constantly improving not just during the offseason but during the regular season. He'll be better in June than he is now. 


  He’s not just some guy who just goes out and gets his stats either, Gilgeous-Alexander is a reason why the Thunder win. When the Thunder win Gilgeous-Alexander averages 25.8 PTS, 7.8 AST, 6.9 TRB, he shoots 51% from the field, and 39% from the three. His numbers take a drastic hit when they lose. He only averages in losses 20.7 PTS, 5.6 AST, 4.5 TRB, he shoots 50% from the field, and 37% from behind the arc. The point is Gilgeous-Alexander improvement is important for the Thunder it kind of decides  if they win or lose. If he doesn’t play well they probably won’t win. Gilgeous-Alexander needs to be good or the Thunder have no chance in the highly competitive Western Conference. Shai should be an All Star and on an All-Team. There’s only been five players in the last 25 years that in their 3rd year to average at least 22 PPG on 61 percent true shooting or more they are 86-87 Charles Barkley (All-star), 89-90 Reggie Miller (All-star), 04-05 Amare Stoudemire (All-star), and 20-21 Shai Gilgeous Alexander. Difference between them is Gilgeous Alexander is not even top 10 in Western conference guards in voting. That’s a joke he should be an All-Star. Gilgeous Alexander is without a doubt one of the best guards in the 2020-2021 season but there should be no question he’s the most improved player. 


By Matthew Doherty


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