Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Shai Gilges-Alexander had a truly stellar season for his club in 2021-2022. His season averages were a fantastic 31.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Without a doubt, Shai is one of the brightest stars of the season and it’s no surprise that he’s currently nominated for the Most Valuable Player of the Season (MVP) award. Analysts, fans and even coaches of other League teams speak about it. So, Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone assured that Gilges-Alexander would definitely be one of the candidates for the MVP title of the current season. However, will the Oklahoma player really be able to claim this award, because often basketball players who help their team get into the Playoffs win it. Of course, there is no fault of the defender that the team is so low in the table, therefore, he is now deservedly included in the TOP-7 contenders.
If you look at the sites of sayti bookmakers and their quotes, then at the moment, the odds for the event that Shai Gildzhes-Alexander will become MVP exceeds 20.00. Let’s weigh the chances of the Oklahoma superstar.
Performance in the current season
After almost a third of the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are only 13th out of 15 in the Western Conference. For the fans, this result is certainly disappointing, however, as a consolation prize, they receive an excellent individual game from their leader.
Shai has already had a lot of amazing matches this season:
- Atlanta-Oklahoma 114:121 (35 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists).
- Washington-Oklahoma 120:121 (42 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists).
- Boston-Oklahoma 126:122 (37 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists).
- New York-Oklahoma 135:145 (37 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists).
- Oklahoma-Milwaukee 132:136 (39 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists).
- Oklahoma-Denver 110:122 (37 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists).
- Dallas-Oklahoma 111:117 (38 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists).
The above are 7 games where Shai scored at least 35 points, but he also has 30 points in the game against Chicago, 31 points each in confrontations with New Orleans and Denver, 32 points in the game against ” Minnesota and Houston, 33 points each against Detroit and Clippers, 34 points against Orlando.
Thus, for 24 meetings held at the start of the season, in 15 fights, Gilges-Alexander scored 30 or more points. The result is simply phenomenal.
Can Shai Gilges-Alexander compete for the 2023 MVP award?
One of the most influential people in the NBA said that Shai is the second best player in the League after Giannis Antetokounmpo. His individual talent is definitely up to par with the best, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just hasn’t proven himself as well as other superstars. However, as the team improves, he will be recognized, and the Oklahoma City Thunder under Shai Gilgeus-Alexander could be a title contender.
He is definitely one of the best and underrated talents in the league. Gilges-Alexander is on the cusp of becoming a true superstar, and all that’s missing from his track record is a successful Playoff game with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Just over a month into the 2022-23 NBA season, we’re seeing a huge number of stars in the league, and the MVP race is open. The leaders in this competition are Luka Doncic, Jason Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Also among the contenders are Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilges-Alexander.
Shai is one of the funniest players in the NBA to watch without taking your eyes off the screen. Gilges-Alexander currently hits thresholds of 31.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. The only players to finish the season with such figures are Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson and James Harden (when he became MVP). Add to that the one block per game that Gilges-Alexander is currently reaching and you have only two seasons in which Michael Jordan has won MVP with that record.
For whatever reason, we think the League is currently underestimating the Oklahoma player. Statistically speaking, he shows the best results in the League and it is quite difficult to argue with that. The only negative is the City Thunder’s place in the standings. We hope that in the near future, Shai will be able to climb even higher in the list of contenders for the MVP and he will be considered as a real contender for the title of the most valuable player in the NBA.
