5 players who deserve to be first time NBA All-Stars in 2023
1. G Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
There will be a legitimate issue if Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t make his first All-Star team this season. Not only is the loyal Oklahoma City Thunder a deserving All-Star, but he’s also a deserving MVP candidate as well.
First, the big number: 31.2. That’s how many points per game Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging so far this season, ranking third in the NBA. He’s never averaged more than 25 points per game, so this is a big scoring leap for SGA.
Outside of one strong season a couple of years ago, Gilgeous-Alexander has never been much of a three-point shooter. That’s something he seems to be understanding this season, dropping his attempts down to 3.1 per game.
Instead, he’s getting it done from closer range. Only one person has made more two-pointers than SGA this season and only one person has attempted more. He’s also been finding his way to the free throw line at an impressive clip and making them at an even more impressive rate, leading the league with a 93 percent shooting percentage from the charity stripe.
Similar to the guard who precedes him on this list, SGA is also a master at stealing the ball. He’s averaging 1.7 steals per game and has a 2.3 steal percentage, which qualifies among the top 20 in the league.
SGA has a slight turnover problem, but that’s really nitpicking considering how reliant the Thunder have become on him having the ball in his hands at all times. You know who else was an All-Star who turned the ball over from time to time while donning the blue for the Thunder? Russell Westbrook.
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Speaking of Westbrook, nobody has made more All-Star Games as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder than the mercurial guard. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves to start his own path toward that status this season.