Former NBA All-Star Talks MVP Race: 'Shai is the MVP'
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has taken his game to new heights once again this season. Every year in the league, the superstar guard has added something new to his game, and this year he has refined his skillset all-around. He's a two-way force, upping his defensive impact, and one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA.
On the season, he's averaging 31.1 points, 6.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds on 54.6% from the floor and 37.1% from 3-point range. He's also averaging a league-leading 2.2 steals per game and 0.9 blocks. He's the main reason for the Thunder's rise and has turned into one of the best basketball players in the world.
With Joel Embiid's injury and the Thunder in contention for the No. 1 seed, Gilgeous-Alexander has a legitimate chance at the NBA's MVP award.
Former three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas thinks the choice is clear.
"This is the MVP, Shai is the MVP this year," Arenas said on his podcast. "There's not a veteran on that team that has any experience of winning. This is him, pushing his 22, 23, 24-year old team. He has them in a position to be the number one, two, three seed.
"Denver, those are vets, right? You expected vets to win and understand how to win. You don't expect a young team -- if this team was tenth, nobody would be saying nothing, right? Because you expect that. So the fact that they are in the position that they are in, the young fella is carrying."
Arenas has a point. Every other MVP candidate is surrounded with an experienced supporting cast, and was expected to be near the top of the standings this season. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder came out of nowhere.
His efficiency is hard to ignore, and his two-way impact has been impressive to say the least. Whether or not he wins it, Gilgeous-Alexander has proven he's a capable No. 1 option in the NBA, and as long as he's in Oklahoma City, the Thunder will have a chance.
"Having these other young players playing like they are veterans, that is MVP," Gilbert said.
Want to join the discussion? Like Inside the Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.
