End of Season Thunder Awards: Most Valuable Player

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was Oklahoma City’s unquestioned star heading into the season, and his role on the Thunder is no different at the season’s end.

After his impressive 2020-21 campaign, Gilgeous-Alexander still had doubters. He was only able to play in 35 games, giving him a very small sample size to go off of, even if that sample size was strong.

In 2021-22, Gilgeous-Alexander used a red hot finish to raise expectations heading into next season. The Thunder star rebounded from early shooting struggles to raise his splits to a respectable territory.

The 23-year-old ended his campaign averaging 24.5 points, five rebounds and 5.9 assists.

Defensively, he averaged career-high’s in both steals and blocks, averaging 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks.

While being the only true scoring option on a struggling team, Gilgeous-Alexander handled the pressure well. He was fourth in the entire NBA in points scored out of isolation situations, meaning he created a lot of offense for himself.

While doing this, Gilgeous-Alexander shot 45.3% from the fooor and 30% from deep. He also set a career-high for average free-throws per game while knocking down 81% of them.

On the season, Gilgeous-Alexander improved in nearly every statistical category. He averaged a career high in points and rebounds, while tying his career high in assists.

He also did so after the Thunder drafted another ball-dominant point guard, which moved Gilgeous-Alexander off the ball some. While still effective off the ball, Gilgeous-Alexander is still adjusting.

Overall, it was an incredible season for the young Thunder star. The only thing separating him from the ‘A’ category is the low shooting splits. It’s nothing to be concerned about, but it’s clear that Gilgeous-Alexander was tinkering with his mechanics near the beginning of the season.

Gilgeous-Alexander was unstoppable down the stretch offensively. In the month of March, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged a whopping 29 points, 7.5 assists and 5.8 rebounds.

During that stretch, he shot 52% overall and 39.5% from 3-point range.

Aside from the statistics, Gilgeous-Alexander showed major growth in the clutch, where he looked comfortable taking shots with the game on the line. His assertiveness at the end of games was a welcoming sight for Thunder fans.

SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER DOES IT AGAIN!!! pic.twitter.com/PEg1slcZ53
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) December 19, 2021

He also showed supreme confidence in extending his range in big moments, too. The lights never got too bright.

SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER GOING NUCLEAR. AGAIN. pic.twitter.com/eJfXqCgvzv
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) November 5, 2021

According to NBA.com’s stats, Gilgeous-Alexander ranks third behind Luka Doncic and Chris Paul in unassisted field goals made, as SGA found 83.2% of his points coming off of his own self-creation.

The true direction of the Thunder is unknown. It wouldn’t be shocking to see a young, hungry team ready to push for the playoffs next year, and it also wouldn’t be a surprise for OKC to get in on the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.

If the Thunder choose the early route to competition, SGA’s trajectory suggests the All-Star leap is coming. After the 2021-22 season, the only thing standing between Gilgeous-Alexander and stardom in the NBA is winning.

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