How Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Stacks Up Against Fringe All-Stars
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be an NBA all-star in the very near future, but with the way the West is shaping up, it looks like it will not be this season.
The guards out west have put on a show this season, and many of them get respect for the one thing Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t really have going for him: winning. Most of the young, explosive all-star guards are all on highly competitive teams and competing for a top playoff seed.
Gilgeous-Alexander is having somewhat of a down year in the 2021-22 season, but a good portion of that can be contributed to the increasing amount of defense played on him. He draws a ridiculous amount of attention on the defensive end simply because of the lack of offensive talent the Thunder have across the board.
On the season, SGA has averages of 22.5 points, 5.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds. His shooting clips have dipped this year, falling to 41.8% from the floor and 27.4% from 3-point range. Gilgeous-Alexander has really struggled to shoot from behind the line this year, granted most of his attempts are step backs now.
How does he stack up to other fringe all-star players this season? He’s competitive in every category.
Rising stars Dejounte Murray and Anthony Edwards would likely fall in the same category as Gilgeous-Alexander when discussing all-star voting.
Murray, who’s Spurs just dominated the Thunder, is averaging 19.2 points, 8.9 assists and 8.4 rebounds. His ability to lead his team in nearly every major statistical category while producing more wins than the Thunder is likely enough to give him the nod over SGA.
Edwards has had a breakout year, averaging 22.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He’s been a more consistent shooter than Gilgeous-Alexander, but is also playing with the likes of Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell. The fact that he’s not the No. 1 option on his team gives SGA the go-ahead over Edwards.
Other fringe all-star candidates are Brandon Ingram and Damian Lillard. Both players have been sidelined for a few weeks with injuries while the Pelicans and the Trail Blazers are in the midst of disappointing seasons. Gilgeous-Alexander would likely be selected over those two.
Then there are the big names such as Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Ja Morant and Luka Doncic. All four of these stars will get dibs on a spot over the Thunder guard because of production, name value and team success.
Paul is averaging a double-double with points and assists while shooting nearly 50% from the floor. Morant has entered himself into the MVP race with Memphis’s recent winning streak and his 24.7 points per night. Booker’s numbers don’t jump off the page, as he’s similar to Gilgeous-Alexander across the board with 24.6 points and 4.5 assists per game, but he’s leading the No. 1 seed in the West. Doncic has been on a recent tear as the Mavericks have kicked it into gear while he’s averaging 25.2 points 8.8 rebounds and 8.7 assists.
While Gilgeous-Alexander’s numbers would deserve an all-star appearance some years, and he will be selected in the very near future, the West has incredible individual talent this year.
Until the Thunder start winning, it will be hard for SGA to stack up against his Western conference counterparts and receive the respect he deserves.
Want to join the discussion? Like SI 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.
