Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Set to Break a Thunder Record in the Near Future
After an emphatic home win over the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City is once again tied for first place in the Western Conference. The team's two-way dominance has been impressive, and all the data suggests this is a legit contender. The main reason why is MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The superstar continued his consistency on Tuesday night, adding 31 points and eight rebounds to take down the Rockets. 31 seems to be his magic number, as he's scored that exact amount 10 times this season. It's almost an automatic bet that Gilgeous-Alexander will score 30 points or more by now. As a matter of fact, he's slated to break the Thunder's 30-point record in the near future.
This season, Gilgeous-Alexander has already recorded 43 games of 30 points or more. Oklahoma City has played 58 total games, meaning Gilgeous-Alexander is scoring 30 points in 74% of his outings. He is having one of the best single-season scoring campaigns ever seen in a Thunder uniform.
Gilgeous-Alexander nearly broke Kevin Durant's streak of 30-point games a season ago but fell just short. Durant netted 30 points in 47 straight games twice, and his second time doing it he won the league's MVP award. Russell Westbrook is currently a game above Gilgeous-Alexander from his historic 2017 season, and he won MVP as well.
SGA has as good a chance of anyone to take home the league MVP award and seems to be consistently in the top three conversations. Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic both have serious buzz, too. Oklahoma City's rise to the top and Gilgeous-Alexander's two-way impact bodes well for his case.
The 30-point consistency has translated to Gilgeous-Alexander's averages, as he's enjoying the most dominant year of his NBA career. The sixth-year guard is averaging 31.1 points, 6.5 assists and 5.6 rebounds on 54.8% shooting and 38.9% from 3-point range. He's also averaging 2.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.
He's having one of the most efficient seasons ever for a high-volume guard, and Durant's record will likely fall victim because of it.
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