Ranking the 15 best performances in the NBA this season
7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander makes history in Minnesota (01/13/20)
Through even the tiniest of glimpses during his rookie season, it was easy to tell Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was destined for some type of stardom. When he began posting career-highs after being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, that vote of confidence grew larger.
However high one thought his ceiling was, SGA’s potential was no more so apparent than in a mid-January game against the Timberwolves where history was made.
In 36 minutes, Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 20 points, 20 rebounds and 10 assists, becoming the 24th player with such a stat line — there have been 91 total instances — and the youngest among them at 21 years and 185 days.
To see this type of performance from stat-stuffers like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Russell Westbrook is commonplace.
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Only this year has Gilgeous-Alexander began to break out of his shell thanks to newfound responsibilities in OKC he never had in LA, but this outing was on historic levels few if any thought the sophomore could ever reach.
Aside from unexpected competitiveness in the present, the Thunder have a bright future in part because of SGA’s budding stardom. If this game was any indication, it might be greater than what even the most optimistic of opinionists originally thought.