Oklahoma City Thunder: 3 reasons why they’re in the playoff hunt
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having a breakout season
The LA Clippers acquired the rights to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander via a draft-night trade with the Charlotte Hornets back in 2018 and the organization was excited about its selection.
"“We have been tracking Shai all year and grew more and more impressed with him. He quickly became a priority for us,” said President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank via NBA.com."
During his rookie campaign, Gilgeous-Alexander compiled averages of 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in 26.5 minutes per outing. Simply put, he was exactly the kind of player the Clippers had hoped he would be.
While his first NBA season was a productive one, he has been even better in Year 2. For starters, Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder in scoring with 19.2 points per contest, nearly doubling up his scoring average from last season. Additionally, he has more than doubled his rebounding average, collecting 6.1 boards per contest, up from the 2.8 per contest he recorded last year.
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Similar to this rookie season, he continues to be a decent long-range shooter, as he is knocking down 35 percent of his looks from 3-point range on 3.5 attempts per contest. Parting ways with SGA could not have been easy for the Clippers, even if it meant acquiring a two-time Finals MVP in Kawhi Leonard.
Although replacing the likes of Westbrook and George won’t be easy, Gilgeous-Alexander is proving that he is capable of being a star in his own right.