Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Doesn't 'Need Validated' With Most Valuable Player
NBA award season is rapidly approaching. The Oklahoma City Thunder has 15 regular season games remaining on the schedule, meaning those who are in contention for major awards have already separated themselves. One of those players is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has led the Thunder to a 47-20 record through 67 contests.
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game while leading the Thunder to the top seed in the Western Conference. Everything he's done this season is on par with what a player would need to do to put together an MVP-level resume.
Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault doesn't believe Gilgeous-Alexander needs to win the Most Valuable Player award to be validated for his incredible season.
“What he's done in his career to this point, and what he's done for our team this season, doesn't need to be validated by an award," Daigneault said. "It stands on its own two feet. If he wins it, great. And that's downstream of our team and him. But if he doesn't win it, it doesn't take anything away from the impact that he's had or the player has turned himself into.”
The Most Valuable Player award wouldn't just mean plenty for Gilgeous-Alexander but for the franchise as a whole. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant both won the MVP award in a Thunder jersey, and Gilgeous-Alexander would be the third Thunder to do so in the franchise's short history. On top of that, it's a credit to the success of the current iteration of the team and how they play around Gilgeous-Alexander.
Last season, the Thunder superstar finished No. 5 in voting for the award despite the team's 40-42 record -- good for the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. This season, the team improved enough that there aren't any holes in Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP resume.
As Daigneault mentioned, though, he doesn't need that validation. What matters this season is that Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder get valuable playoff experience and begin to get a full-scale idea of what the team's ceiling can be.
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