With Donovan Mitchell and Dejounte Murray Out of the West, an All-Star Selection Looms for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The off-season keeps getting better for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his Thunder tenure.
Not only did the Thunder cement lottery talent around him for future seasons in the draft, but moves from other Western Conference foes have opened up NBA All-Star lanes, which were previously clogged.
On Thursday the Utah Jazz sent a multi-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland, an Eastern Conference team and in return brought Colin Sexton, an up-and-coming young guard.
Earlier in the off-season Dejounte Murray went to Atlanta from San Antonio.
This means two of last year's Western Conference All-Star guards are no longer in the way of Gilgeous-Alexander, who has been closing in on the elusive selection.
Coming off a season where he produced 24.5 points, five rebounds and nearly six assists per game, the Thunder star is a clear option to take one of the open spots in this season's All-Star game now that Murray and Mitchell are no longer in the conference.
Last season, Murray averaged 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game while Mitchell averaged 25.9 points 4.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
If SGA can remain a 24 to 26 points per game scorer while getting his rebounding total to around six and maintaining the same or more assists, he could find himself shot in up during the All-Star Break this season.
He’s been close in his career with OKC but with one of the deepest rosters talent-wise in his tenure SGA has the chance to notch his first All-Star selection to his resume.
Mitchell and Murray left a gap at the top of Western Conference guards that needed to be filled. In many ways it’s Gilgeous-Alexander’s spot to lose after his dominant end to his time last season.
With high level guards heading by to the Eastern Conference this could be SGA’s chance to find his way onto the All-Star team.
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