NEW YORK CITY – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s meteoric rise continues with the Oklahoma City Thunder star in the running for the MVP award for a second straight season after helping OKC to a 30-6 start in the 2024-25 campaign.
The slim 6-foot-6, 195-pound guard entered Friday’s game against the New York Knicks ranked third in points per game (31.3) on 58.9 percent shooting while also averaging 6.1 assists and 5.5 rebounds. SGA has been a nightmare to guard thanks to his shiftiness and pace, helping him pull away from his defenders with a quick move to give himself more space and create a better scoring chance.
Gilgeous-Alexander leads the league alongside Luka Doncic in points off pull-up shots (12.0 per game) as well as mid-range field goal percentage (53.7) – ahead of the kind of middy, two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant – showing just how dangerous the Thunder star is with the ball in his hands.
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Asked about the Kentucky product’s elusiveness and unique pacing, which he’s been relying on since his college days, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault suggested that it’s a byproduct of figuring out his game while dealing with a smaller frame against typically bulkier players.
Daigneault likened Gilgeous-Alexander’s development to Jalen Brunson – the 6-foot-2 Knicks All-Star – whose playing style similarly couldn’t be based on physicality because of his size. “I do think a lot of it happens before they get to college and the NBA,” the Thunder head coach said before the matchup at Madison Square Garden.
“Brunson’s a unique study on that too. He’s always been smaller. Watching him play, I’m always amazed at the space he’s able to create at that size. You’re on him, and the next thing he’s wide open at 8 feet. He’s just got every trick and he’s got these instincts.
Daigneault compared Gilgeous-Alexander’s development to New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson’s (
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
“I have a feeling that was honed almost through survival at a young age. I would say Shea’s probably similar. He’s always been a skinnier guy.”
Daigneault pointed out that Gilgeous-Alexander has bulked up over the years, though, only helping him deal with the physicality at the NBA level. The Canadian has gained a 15-pound gain compared to his time at Kentucky in 2017-18 when he was listed at 180 pounds.
“He’s a man now,” Daigneault said. “Early on, he was pretty thin and probably needed that in order to get to his space because he wasn’t going to do it with physicality.
“I think a lot of it’s that but I don’t really know other than that. That would be my guess is that they develop that naturally through their early basketball experiences.”
Gilgeous-Alexander rose to the top of the NBA MVP ladder in the latest standings, surpassing Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic with Giannis Antetokounmpo wrapping up the Top 3.
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