Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a Puzzle the NBA is Still Struggling to Solve

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has leaped into MVP conversations, and the rest of the league is still trying to figure out how to defend him.

Ten-year NBA veteran CJ McCollum had strong words about Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday.

“He is different, unique in his own way," McCollum said. "Middies, free throws, paint finishes and stepbacks. I think he is 6-foot-6, I don’t think [there’s anyone to compare him to] he is a unique, unique, comparison because of his size, youth, athletic ability.”

McCollum thought hard for an example to use when discussing Gilgeous-Alexander's game before wincing and subsiding to the fact that the Thunder star is uncommon.

This is high praise from a veteran who has shared a locker room with Damian Lillard and matched up with every prolific scorer since his 2013-14 debut.

“It is really hard to limit a guy like [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] . You just have to make it difficult, guard him with five and hope for the best,” McCollum told Inside the Thunder.

It was almost a foreshadowing in the Pelicans' locker room 55 minutes before the tip-off of a Game 2 beatdown.

While getting credit for their task of defending Gilgeous-Alexander, the collective group almost seemed resigned to the fact that their efforts were just a speed bump for the scoring cyber truck racing down the road.

The Oklahoma City guard has a masterful blend of three-level scoring, jaw-dropping efficiency, size for his position, a never-ending motor and balance that lets him baffle defenders with his touch through physicality.

The Pelicans have done a better job than most over the last two seasons since Gilgeous-Alexander has made his scoring leap to 30 points per game.

“We got big rangy defenders like Nanji Marshall and Herb Jones, we are able to throw bodies at him and give him different looks so we are not throwing the same looks at him every time,” Trey Murphy III told Inside the Thunder on Wednesday before the Thunder big shot maker dropped 33 points in a blowout win.

Despite the scoring outburst, Murphy and the Pelicans are not wrong. Jones deserves a lot of credit which is instantly where the attention went around the New Orleans locker room.

When Cody Zeller was quizzed on stopping Gilgeous-Alexander all he needed was a look.

Next to the big man journeymen was the defensive ace, who Zeller immediately nodded his head toward when asked about New Orleans' success in impeding the 25-year-old.

"We got good individual defenders. That is really what it takes. It takes two-three-four guys that can kinda take turns guarding him and try to wear him down," Zeller added.

Just like his fellow 2013 NBA Draft class member, Zeller was left stammering when asked to compare Gilgeous-Alexander to another scoring threat.

Though, the Indiana product eventually landed on Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic.

“[Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] plays at his own pace. He gets to his spots similarly to Luka [Doncic]. Not as good of a passer as Luka but really crafty with his footwork, his spin moves, he has a better burst than Luka," Zeller told Inside the Thunder.

There is a key separating factor between the Bricktown bucket-getter and the Mavericks' marvelous scorer - The defensive end.

"[Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] is a really good two-way play. Really guards well, great hands, he has definitely blown up this year and had a great year,” the 31-year-old said shaking his head and smiling as if to nonverbally express there's nothing else words can do to describe Gilgeous-Alexander.

The back-to-back top-five finisher in Most Valuable Player voting - with a case to take home the honor this season - is a puzzle the NBA is still attempting to solve.

Now - with a sustained period of being a 30-point-per-game efficient scorer and a superstar performance in the postseason - Zeller, like the rest of the league, is ready to call it. There is no stalling out Shai.

"You are not going to stop him, you just have to slow him down.”

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