Lakers' Marcus Smart Lauds OKC Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

One of Los Angeles' starters highlighted the scoring talent of Oklahoma City's superstar in a recent interview.

Nov 12, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots over Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) during the second quarter at Paycom Center. | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Western Conference Semifinals is a heavily anticipated series.

Despite significant injuries on both sides, Luka Doncic for the Lakers and Jalen Williams for the Thunder, the second round of the playoffs will still feature two superstars, an iconic team and the defending NBA champions.

Even at 41-years-old, a strong showing from LeBron James in the first round of the postseason helped propel Los Angeles past the Houston Rockets. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his own impressive outing in Oklahoma City's sweep of the Phoenix Suns, continuing his remarkable 2025-26 campaign.

In a media session on Monday, May 4, Gilgeous-Alexander received recognition for his performance from one of the Lakers' star defenders.

"Number one," Marcus Smart said when asked where SGA ranks among most difficult players to guard. "I think we all know that, right? He does a really good job of getting to the free throw line, and he's mastered it. So, that's going to be a challenge for me, not just me, but everybody on this team. Just making sure we stay out of foul trouble and we keep him off the line as much as possible. It's tough, but it can be done. It's just going to take a lot of effort from everybody and we've got to stay together."

Marcus Smart says SGA is “number one” among the most challenging players to defend. pic.twitter.com/LU42tyBYhq

— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) May 4, 2026

Following a regular season campaign that saw Gilgeous-Alexander average 31.1 points, 6.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 55.3% from the field, 38.6% from 3-point range and 87.9% from the free throw line to earn Clutch Player of the Year and likely another MVP award, the 27-year-old had a strong start to the playoffs.

In four games against Phoenix, SGA averaged 33.8 points, 8 assists and 3.8 rebounds per contest while shooting 55.1% from the field, 31.3% from 3-point range and 89.8% from the free throw line.

As Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, noted, Gilgeous-Alexander is skilled at drawing contact, which resulted in nine free throw attempts per game during the regular season and 12.3 free throw attempts per contest in the first round of the playoffs.

While Smart could present some challenges, the Lakers don't have many strong defenders aside from the former Defensive Player of the Year and Jarred Vanderbilt. Los Angeles' lack of defensive depth should allow Gilgeous-Alexander to have another strong series, and could offer opportunities for Oklahoma City's other pieces to also shine on offense in the second round.