Thunder Star Will Need To Use Recent Ranking As Motivation

After winning two MVPs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still being slept on.

May 30, 2026; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) warms up before game seven against the San Antonio Spurs in the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s dominance lessened the hype for his game?

The list of the top 100 players in the league has officially wrapped up, as the top 10 were released on Thursday. The last of the list had been highly anticipated, as Gilgeous-Alexander was bound to be near the top, but his position on the list was interesting. 

Gilgeous-Alexander was ranked as the third-best player in the NBA entering this season, which is ultimately a little disrespectful. The two players in front of him, Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama, are easily some of the best players in the league, but the Thunder star is the reigning back-to-back Most Valuable Player. He has proven over the past two seasons that he is the best player in the league, but this might just be why he has slipped in the rankings. 

It’s hard to stay atop the league for a long period of time like Gilgeous-Alexander, and the recent ranking says the Kentucky product will fall next season. Wembanyama and the Spurs did knock the Thunder out of the playoffs last season and Jokic has been at the center of talks with Gilgeous-Alexander for best player in the league, but neither of these players has truly proven they are better than the Thunder star. 

Last season, the OKC guard averaged over 30 points per game on over 50% shooting for the fourth year in a row. To put this insane stat in perspective, only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain have done it for more than four straight years. Gilgeous-Alexander is still continuing this dominant tear, and will just have to prove it again next season. 

He will get his first shot in the season opener, as he takes on Wembanyama and the Spurs. As mentioned, the Spurs were the team that ended OKC’s playoff run, and a revenge game night one could be the perfect scenario for the Thunder star to showcase that he can outperform anyone. 

At the end of the day, rankings are just a number; however, this number could easily be proven to be a silly prediction. After two straight MVPs, you would think that Gilgeous-Alexander would have the top dog spot to hold. However, after being placed lower than expected, the Thunder guard can now be at ease with some of the pressure he was under and just go out and dominate. 

If he’s able to, many things could be in his future. We won’t be talking about the best players for next season when it comes ot Gilgeous-Alexander; we could be talking about one of the best players of all time.