Christian Braun on Guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: ‘He’s Good at Everything’

Oklahoma City’s superstar notched another MVP moment on Sunday, as his massive performance lifted the Thunder over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been in a heated battle for the MVP award all season long, but recently it has turned into a contested two-man race. His greatest competition was the one he defeated.

Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic was as hyped up of an individual matchup as we’ve seen all season long. And considering the two superstars don’t play the same position, it was always going to come down to the role players to add the exclamation mark to the MVP case — the award heavily values winning and team success, too. Despite the game being closer than the score would suggest, Oklahoma City ran away with a 24-point victory and Gilgeous-Alexander took home the individual battle with flying colors.

It wasn’t a typical, efficient day at the office for SGA, but he still found a way to dominate. Although he had to take a few more shots than he’s used to, he led the Thunder to a victory by way of 40 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Denver’s defense did all it could, forcing Gilgeous-Alexander to shoot 15-of-32 from the floor and 2-of-11 from 3-point range, but he was simply unstoppable late in the fourth quarter. His 40-point outing stole the show.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s primary defender, Christian Braun, showed valiant effort but couldn’t slow him down enough in the fourth.

“Not good,” Braun said when asked about the team’s defensive performance against SGA. “That’s my fault. He’s a good player, and it was too easy for him today. I gotta be way better.”

After the game, plenty of the discourse was centered around the individual MVP matchup. While Jokic had a solid outing — 23 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists — it wasn’t his typical efficient night, going 10-of-23 from the floor and 2-of-10 from 3-point range. He was also just 2-of-6 from the free throw line and a -13 overall. It was nearly a triple double effort from Jokic, but the final score and SGA’s 40-point explosion out-shadowed it.

Even though he only took eight free throws, Gilgeous-Alexander’s critics were loud after the game. His play style has been under a microscope all season long as his MVP a campaign has really taken shape. Like most players in the league, though, Braun was strictly complimentary when asked about Gilgeous-Alexander. It’s not about the fouls, it’s about the sheer talent he has.

“He’s good at everything, it's not the fouls,” Braun said when asked what makes Gilgeous-Alexander a tough guard. “I know a lot of people talk about that but he's just good. He can hit every shot.

“I don't think he shot at well from three today and still gets 40. So like I said, I got to be better that's my fault. It starts with me keeping him in front and making it tough on him and I didn’t do that today.”

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