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OKC Thunder star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in the middle of a superstar-level breakout season.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks per game on 50.4% shooting through 38 games. The 24-year-old’s 31.0 PPG is tied for third in the entire NBA, behind only superstars Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid.
However, OKC still holds a losing record at 19-23 and is 12th in the Western Conference. The West is also crowded with elite backcourt players, leading some to question whether Gilgeous-Alexander will ultimately land his first All-Star selection.
In the latest NBA All-Star fan voting returns, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still ranks fourth among West backcourt players with 1,338,764 votes. He trails more established stars like the aforementioned Doncic as well as Steph Curry and Ja Morant.
Only two guards can be selected as starters for each conference. Both Doncic and Curry are more than two million votes ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander and Morant. So even with fan voting only accounting for 50.0% of the vote, Doncic and Curry look like locks to start in the West backcourt.
This leaves Gilgeous-Alexander battling it out with Morant as well as multiple other top guards for one of the two West reserve guard spots. "SGA" also has a chance to land one of the two wildcard spots in the West that are chosen regardless of position.
However, it probably won’t even come down to a wildcard spot for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he has easily been a top-four guard in the West. After winning just 24 games last season, the Thunder are on pace to win 37 games this season. The main reason has been Gilgeous-Alexander’s ascension into superstardom.
The young star has been carrying a rebuilding OKC team on his back all season, particularly offensively. The Thunder have a 114.0 team offensive rating with Gilgeous-Alexander on the court. This is in contrast to their team-worst 107.2 team offensive rating with him on the bench.
It is also the difference between having the 12th and 30th-best offense in the NBA. So Gilgeous-Alexander’s 31.0 PPG has certainly made an impact for OKC.
Additionally, many of "SGA’s" top competitors for All-Star reserve spots like Damian Lillard and Devin Booker have been struggling with injuries this season. That should only make Shai Gilgeous-Alexander even more of a lock to secure his first All-Star berth this year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops 37 points as OKC Thunder get statement win over Philadelphia 76ers
The OKC Thunder may sit just 12th in the West, but they haven’t been playing like it lately. The Thunder secured one of their most impressive victories of the season on Thursday night as they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 133-114 in Philly.
The Thunder did so behind 37 points, eight rebounds and six assists on 62.5% shooting from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Meanwhile, sophomore guard Josh Giddey added 20 points, four rebounds and eight assists on 50.0% shooting.
Following their win in Philadelphia, OKC is now 4-2 in their last six games. This has the young team feeling like they can compete with anyone in the league.
''I think it shows we belong,'' Giddey said postgame.
''We've shown we belong with some of the best teams in the league,'' Giddey continued.
The Thunder were able to pull off the victory despite strong performances from Sixers superstars Joel Embiid and James Harden. Embiid finished 30 points and 10 rebounds on 58.8% shooting, while Harden recorded 24 points, six rebounds and 15 assists on 46.2% shooting.
After the game, Thunder coach Mark Daigneault spoke about how his young team just played to their identity.
''There's just times where things get tight and you kind of naturally drift from your identity,'' Daigneault said.
''I thought the difference was, when it got tight, I just thought we got closer to our identity. Closer to team basketball. That's a sign of a team that believes in what they're doing."
Daigneault then added that his team is always ready to compete.
''I think the competitiveness of the team has come from our players and our locker room,'' he said.
''Those guys are ambitious and they're willing to do it together. When the ball goes up most nights, they're ready to compete."
As previously mentioned, the Thunder are still just 19-23 and 12th in the West following their big win. However, they are now just 1.0 games behind the final play-in spot in the West. They are also just 2.5 games behind the sixth seed.
So it appears that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the OKC Thunder may be on the verge of turning a corner over the second half of the season.
