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Inside The Thunder

Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Leads Most Improved Player Odds

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the NBA at +160 odds to win the Most Improved Player award.
Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Leads Most Improved Player Odds
Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Leads Most Improved Player Odds

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The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen an impressive 6-8 start to their season, and the main driver of the team thus far has been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The main reason they've been able to pull out wins has been his elite level play. 

Gilgeous-Alexander has exceeded All-Star level play. With his counting stats, the 6-foot-6 guard looks like an All-NBA player. He's averaging 30.5 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, 5.8 assists per game, 1,5 blocks per game and 2.2 steals per game. 

His 30.5 points per game, as of right now, has him ranked at fifth in the league, which is an incredible jump to take. 

The last five games have been incredible for Gilgeous-Alexander, too. He's averaged 33.2 points per game in that stretch. 

Gilgeous-Alexander's elite play has led to him now owning the odds to win the Most Improved Player award. His odds, as of now, are at +160. For reference, the second best odds come from Lauri Markkanen at +600. 

Other players in the top five odds include Tyrese Maxey (+650), Tyrese Haliburton (+1400) and Desmond Bane (+1900). 

The jump for Gilgeous-Alexander has seem him go from a borderline All-Star talent to now playing beyond those expectations, and should he continue at his pace, he'll be able to get his first career All-Star nod. 

Markkanen and Maxey remain Gilgeous-Alexander's biggest competition, but Maxey's case should take a step back when Harden returns. If Markkanen continues at his pace, too, the race to win the Most Improved Player award could be an interesting one. 


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Kade Kimble
KADE KIMBLE

Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022.