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Thunder Represented Amongst Finalists for Three NBA Awards

After what has already been an outstanding season, three members of OKC's team have been recognized for their impressive achievements this year.
Randall Sweet|
Thunder Represented Amongst Finalists for Three NBA Awards
Thunder Represented Amongst Finalists for Three NBA Awards

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Oklahoma City Thunder

All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, rookie wing Jalen Williams and head coach Mark Daigneault were all named finalists for the NBA's 2023 Kia Performance Awards on Friday afternoon following a remarkable regular season. The last Oklahoma City player to take home one of these honors was Russell Westbrook in 2017, when the former Thunder guard was named the league's Most Valuable Player. 

While Gilgeous-Alexander's incredible season put him in the conversation for MVP this season, the former Clipper will likely come in around fifth place on most MVP ballots in 2023. Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are this year's three finalists for Most Valuable Player.  

SGA, however, is in a tightly contested battle for the Most Improved Player award. Rivaling SGA's campaign for MIP is fellow first-time all-star, Lauri Markkanen.

In 2021-22, the former Cavalier averaged 14.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 44.5% from the field and 35.8% from 3-point range. After landing with the Jazz over the summer, the 25-year-old forward put up 25.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, shooting 49.9% from the field and 39.1% from beyond the arc his first season in Utah. 

Gilgeous-Alexander jumped from 24.5 points per game on 45.3% from the field in 2021-22 to 31.4 points per game on 51% from the field in 2022-23. Current Knick and former Mavericks' point guard Jalen Brunson is the third nominee for Most Improved Player.

Rookie wing Jalen Williams is one of three finalists for the Rookie of the Year award after averaging 14.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting a remarkable 52.1% from the field and 35.6% from 3-point range during his first season in Oklahoma City. 

The heavy favorite to win the award, however, is Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero. The former No. 1 overall pick put up a whopping 20 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 42.7% from the field and 29.8% from beyond the arc. 

Jazz rookie center Walker Kessler is the third finalist for Rookie of the Year, tallying 9.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on 72% shooting. 

38-year-old Mark Daigneault, in his third season as the Thunder's head coach, was nominated for Coach of the Year alongside Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics and Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings. Daigneault led OKC to a 40-42 record despite being without the second overall selection in last year's NBA draft after winning only 24 games a season ago. 

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall Sweet is a 2022 Oklahoma University graduate who has formerly written for the Norman Transcript and OU Daily. Randall also serves as the Communications Coordinator at Visit OKC.

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