Checking in on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP Case

Having earned his fourth 50-point output in the last few months, it’s high-time we again check in on Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s case at the 2024-25 NBA MVP Award.

The OKC superstar has earned top-five finishes in each of the last two seasons, just last year finishing as the runner-up to Nikola Jokic: his biggest competition this year. And all signs are pointing towards it being just a two-man race between them.

Unbelievably, it appears Gilgeous-Alexander has leveled up yet again.

His base counting stats paint the crystal clear picture that he’s having an all-time season: 32.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 53% overall and 36% from three. And the ever-important advanced metrics do the very same: an 11.6 box plus-minus and 8.0 VORP, where he ranks second to Jokic in both.

Even more, he's earned notches on his belt with the aforementioned 50-point performances, which are not to go unnoticed as MVP-type performances.

Jokic may very well have a statistical edge. The three-time MVP-winner has averaged a lesser 28.9 points, but a Westbrook-esque 12.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s best cases are his league-leading scoring numbers, and the Thunder’s record as a whole. OKC has been dominant with the former Wildcat as their feature player, winning 50 games before another Western team could get to 40. While many would point to the Thunder simply having better ancillary pieces around Gilgeous-Alexander, he’s had to shoulder the load of a team that hasn’t been the healthiest.

Miraculously, the Thunder have an 11-game lead over the Nuggets, which almost has to count for something.

SGA stands to win the award per most major odds-makers, but its not so wide a gap that he can coast just yet.

There’s just a month and change remaining in the NBA season, plenty of time for either player to make a real push. But an upcoming back-to-back between Denver and OKC on March 9 and 10 could have massive implications on the narrative.

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