Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not Oklahoma City Thunder’s best guard

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a talented backcourt with Chris Paul and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but who is better?

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a lot of young players with the potential to be great players in the near future. They will rely on these players to help them in their effort to rebuild.

These are players such as Darius Bazley, the latest first-round pick by the Thunder. Hamidou Diallo has the talent to be a great player and Terrance Ferguson has a couple of years under his belt and is still developing.

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All of those players were drafted by the Thunder, but the player who has the potential to be the best out of the young players in Oklahoma City was acquired in a trade. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was drafted out of Kentucky in 2018 by the Charlotte Hornets and immediately traded to the LA Clippers.

After Paul George decided he wanted to be traded, the Thunder made the move to acquire Gilgeous-Alexander. After an impressive first season with the Clippers, he was said to be a player to watch coming into this season.

In his rookie year, he averaged 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. This season he has stepped into a larger role and shown extreme development. He is averaging 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.

With the Thunder, he is being asked to do more and he has responded by averaging the second-most points on the team. He is the point guard of the future that will replace Russell Westbrook, as Chris Paul, at age 34, is not part of the long-term plan.

What makes Gilgeous-Alexander a great player is his ability to create for himself. Only 39.3 percent of his jump shots have been assisted, with just 40.3 percent of his layups assisted.

He has the ability to take a defender off the dribble with his speed and the ability to shoot right in a defender’s face after dribbling. This is a team without star talent and it helps to have a player that can create his own shot on a consistent basis.

While all that is true, Paul is still the better player. He is a Hall of Fame guard with a resume a young guard would be jealous of. On a team void of superstars, he is the one star player the Thunder have.

He is the player with a four-year $160 million contract. He is the player that is a nine-time All-Star. He is the player that is eight times been named All-NBA. He is the player that is a nine-time All-Defensive selection.

The Thunder will not make it to the playoffs without him. His experience, leadership and veteran talent is something that cannot be taken for granted. He also makes everybody around him better. His ability to set up teammates for open shots will help everybody on the team.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be the best guard on the Thunder when Paul is gone. Also, he will be the best guard when he starts making everybody around him better, but he is not there yet.

The Oklahoma City Thunder still need Paul on the team because they are still in the playoff hunt when they are ready to start the full rebuild that will open the door for Gilgeous-Alexander.