NBA Veteran Gives Unique Look at OKC Thunder Superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Bismack Biyombo grow a unique relationship with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in a short time.

May 9, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) smiles at fans after scoring against the Dallas Mavericks during the second quarter of game two of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

In the middle of February, the Oklahoma City Thunder reached into the buyout market to add NBA journeyman Bismack Biyombo. The big man had a productive start to the season with the Memphis Grizzlies who elected to go in a younger direction during their lost season due to injuries.

Biyombo arrived in Bricktown as a change-of-pace big man presenting an aspect the Thunder roster lacked with his 6-foot-8 255-pound frame and a 7-foot-6 wingspan but quickly the 12-year veteran became an instant fit in the young Thunder locker room.

Despite their age, Oklahoma City showed throughout the season a level of uncommon maturity that netted them 57 wins en route to being the youngest No. 1 seed of all time. The NBA veteran explained what stood out to him about the level of maturity this squad had.

"Obviously going through the first series, you can kind of see that, the commitments. The level of focus. Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], having a newborn in the midst of all that, and decided to still make himself available. That shows the amount of, one, maturity and understanding of responsibilities that he carries for the team," Biyombo said.

This was just the first instance of the NBA veteran raving about the Thunder star, on top of saying Gilgeous-Alexander should've taken home the MVP award over Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, Biyombo revealed what makes the Thunder guard so special.

"Shai is like my little brother. I love him...I think one of the things about him that I really find interesting is that, when there's such a high demand of you on the team, I think at night he's coming back in, and I'll see him at night still working, the level of commitment that he has to just continue to get better even though he's playing at that level, it says a lot about him," Biyombo said when discussing the Thunder star.

Biyombo, who has been around the NBA for a long time seeing many stars come and go as the 31-year-old listed the separating factors from Gilgeous-Alexander and others in his spot.

"I think you see some people, they're at the level and they're having conversation, but are they working hard enough? I don't know. I've been around guys that are just that good. But he's a hard worker, and he's fun to watch. He's going to be MVP of the league soon, maybe next year. So look forward to that. He should have been this year anyway," Biyombo continued to rave about Gilgeous-Alexander.

---

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.