Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s rise to MVP frontrunner with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder has vindicated a daring prediction he made early in his profession, based on Detroit Pistons guard Dennis Schroder.
When Gilgeous-Alexander arrived in Oklahoma Metropolis in 2019 as a part of the Paul George commerce package deal from the Los Angeles Clippers, the then-second-year guard made a putting declare to his new teammate Schroder.
“One factor that basically pops out, Shai stated, ‘I do not know why they traded me for Paul George.’ I used to be like, ‘What you imply?’ He stated, ‘He isn’t higher than me,'” stated Schroder to Sportsnet.ca
At the moment, George was coming off a season the place he averaged 28 factors, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and a couple of.2 steals per sport, incomes first-team All-NBA and All-Protection honors whereas ending third in MVP voting.
Practically six years later, Gilgeous-Alexander has established himself because the main candidate for the NBA’s Most Invaluable Participant award, averaging a league-leading 32.7 factors together with 6.4 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals whereas taking pictures 51.7 % from the sector.
Mark Daigneault famous that Gilgeous-Alexander’s emergence as an elite participant grew to become evident throughout the NBA bubble in 2020, when practices revealed “one other gear with the ball in his arms that possibly we have not seen due to the opposite guys on the staff.”
This season, Gilgeous-Alexander joined Michael Jordan and James Harden as the one gamers in NBA historical past to common at the very least 32 factors, 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.5 steals with a True Capturing share of 60.0 or higher.
“I imply, he isn’t smug, it is simply his confidence is thru the roof,” Schroder stated. “As a result of he is aware of how a lot work he places in. And you’ll see it on the courtroom, too. He is obtained that canine in him, and he is doing it actual silent, too… he is not likely a talker. However whenever you go at him, he is like, ‘Okay, however I am gonna present you.’ And when he goes at you, it is gonna be an extended night time, you recognize?”
“If I had the very same numbers I had and we had been tenth within the West, [the numbers] would not matter,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated about his MVP candidacy. “The explanation why I’ve my success is due to this staff and due to this group, and that is all it is actually about. I all the time say it is about profitable, and whenever you win, every part else falls in line.”
