Los Angeles Clippers: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander steadily climbing rookie ladder

The 2018 NBA Draft class has some of the most intriguing and talent-filled players the NBA has seen in a while. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Los Angeles Clippers may not win Rookie of the Year, he’s definitely making his name known and will likely be successful for years to come.

While it hasn’t even been close to a full season yet, it seems the Los Angeles Clippers have hit the nail on the head with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. With their prevalent issues in the playmaking department last season, the 6’6″ guard out of Kentucky seemed like the perfect fit and, so far, he has been.

While he’s unlikely to take the Rookie of the Year award from the likes of Luka Doncic or Deandre Ayton, SGA is steadily climbing up the rookie ladder so far. After nine games of playing with the secondary unit, the 20-year-old has started the previous four games and isn’t looking back.

Signs of success on the bench

As previously stated, Gilgeous-Alexander came off of the bench for the first nine games of the season. On a team as deep as the Clippers, the young guard was competing for playing time with the experienced Patrick Beverley at point guard while also playing with near All-Star caliber Lou Williams.

As a result, he played an average of just 24.7 minutes per contest. Despite the fairly limited minutes, he averaged a solid 8.2 points, 3.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game on an effective 45.6 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

These numbers don’t seem anything too significant, but his impact on both ends of the floor at multiple positions proved to be very effective. In his sixth game against the Washington Wizards, Gilgeous-Alexander recorded a near triple-double with 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 28 minutes of play.

In the clip above, the young guard is seen doing virtually everything on the court, from running the offense and setting up teammates, to stripping the ball from opponents and attacking the rim with crafty footwork for easy finishes.

After just nine short games, Gilgeous-Alexander confirmed all expectations and proved to the Clippers organization that he deserved a spot in the starting rotation, especially with Avery Bradley‘s recent ankle injury and fairly inconsistent play beforehand.

 Coming into his own

Considering Lou Williams has consistently found success with the sixth man role and the fact that the aforementioned Bradley has been subpar, SGA may be able to solidify himself as a starter for a good portion of the season. His recent starts definitely give credence to that claim.

His first start against the Minnesota Timberwolves still saw the rookie play just 25 minutes and a fairly modest effort as he recorded six points, five assists and three rebounds to go along with a steal and a block on 2-of-6 shooting from the field.

His next three starts, however, would solidify him as a top-five rookie on the rise. Against the Portland Trail Blazers, Gilgeous-Alexander erupted for a career-high 19 points to go along with three rebounds, two assists and a block in 35 minutes. He also made seven of his 12 field goal attempts and connected on both of his 3-point attempts.

He followed up a career night with an equally impressive 16 points, six rebounds, four assists, three blocks and a steal in 40 minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks. While he made just five of his 13 total attempts, he connected on two of his three 3-point shots that night.

And finally, the 6’6″ guard put up his most complete game thus far in an upset win against the Golden State Warriors as he notched 18 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block on an effective 8-of-11 shooting from the field in 38 minutes of play.

https://twitter.com/NBACanada/status/1062357416283521032

As a starter so far, he’s averaged 14.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steals in 34.5 minutes per contest on 52.4 percent shooting from the field and 44.4 percent shooting from behind the 3-point line.

Many players have good stretches and there’s no surefire way to predict if this success will continue. However, the 2018-19 season so far has proven what Clippers fans can look forward to throughout the next few years. Whether he comes off the bench or runs with the starting unit, Gilgeous-Alexander can do it all at an effective level.

A long-term value

In short, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t going to steal the spotlight from guys like Doncic, Ayton, Trae Young or even Wendell Carter Jr. The Rookie of the Year award isn’t likely to be in his possession by the end of the season, but SGA’s value is going to extend long past his rookie year.

With Beverley likely on his way out, Williams retaining a bench role and the starting point guard slot wide open, the 20-year-old is in position to make a huge impact for a franchise that is looking to compete with the Los Angeles Lakers for years to come.