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The Oklahoma City Thunder sit in last place in the Northwest Division with a 8-13 record despite point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having the best season of his career. He is averaging 31.1 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game. He is the cornerstone of a rebuilding franchise.
On FanDuelTV, former NBA player and analyst Chandler Parsons talked about Gilgeous-Alexander’s stats and him possibly winning the league's Most Improved Player award. Along with Eddie Gonzalez and Michelle Beadle, the show also discussed Pacers Tyrese Haliburton as a potential winner of the award as well.
The hosts also posed a question about the Warriors' Jordan Poole in context to the award.
“…what happened to all this Jordan Poole talk??” Eddie Gonzalez
The hosts also brought up Jordan Poole, who would have been considered a possible candidate at the start of the season but not so much now.
Poole’s stats have fallen off since last year. Although he is only averaging about three minutes less per game than in the 2021-22 regular season, he is averaging almost three points less per game. With Klay Thompson being available all season this year, it could be affecting his numbers.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Tyrese Haliburton are having the best seasons of their respective careers. Gilgeous-Alexander is more of a scoring threat for the Thunder, while Haliburton is a key playmaker for the Pacers. Haliburton’s Pacers are the more successful team with a surprising 12-8 record that has them sitting in third place in the Central Division.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the future of the Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have had some major transitions over the past few seasons. A franchise once led by the likes of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook has been trying to find itself over the past few seasons. As they try to position themselves as contenders again, they will need some players and it appears that they have found one.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander didn’t just start playing well this season. He has averaged 19.2 points per game in his career and has averaged over 23.7 points per game for the last three seasons. Acquired by the Clippers during the Paul George trade, he was seen as a player who could fill a role and is now the team’s best player.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has drawn high praise from Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who believes the guard should be in the All-Star game this year. The Thunder’s season looked to be in trouble when their top draft pick Chet Holmgren suffered a season-ending injury before the year started, Gilgeous-Alexander has kept the team afloat.
