SUMMARY
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sent a huge warning to his opponents ahead of the second half of the season following the 2024 NBA All-Star Game.
- SGA and the Thunder currently rank second in the Western Conference with a 37-17 record.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has undoubtedly become one of the biggest guards in the NBA lately. He has turned out to become a promising candidate for the MVP title this season and it seems like he isn’t going to settle for any less. The 2024 NBA All-Star Game marked the midway point of the regular season and it is bound to get extremely competitive during the second half of it. SGA claims he is locked in a focus to get to the top by all means.
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After the All-Star Game concluded, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard posted a series of pictures from the weekend. As you can see, the caption read, “Shai back 2 work. I don’t need 2 much rest. Until 2 is the best, I’m not happy with 2 in the West. 2.” This was a direct reference to his jersey No.2 and the Thunder’s ranking in the Western Conference. OKC ranks second with 37 wins and 17 losses with high chances of making a deep playoff run.
Stephen Curry claimed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could be the next face of the league
Over the years, we’ve seen multiple athletes make their mark in the league and hang up their jerseys. Players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry have had their moments of being called the face of the NBA. During the All-Star Weekend, Curry shared his opinion on who could potentially take over after veterans like him retire from the league. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was one of the players he mentioned while answering the question.
“There’s a lot of guys to pick from. Luka [Doncic], [Anthony Edwards], Shai… guys that are really coming into their prime and are highly decorated already as All-Stars and All-NBA guys, but have a perspective of what that means within the on-court, off-court opportunities, and the doors that basketball opens in that respect. You got a lot of talent to choose from,” Curry said. SGA is already being dubbed as the greatest basketball player out of Canada. It won’t take long before he reaches the pinnacle.
How likely is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win the MVP title?
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has already made a strong case for winning this season’s Kia MVP title. However, there are a few athletes he would have to surpass before officially taking over the throne. Joel Embiid is still in the race to become the MVP, however, based on his condition and the surgery that’s needed to fix his meniscus, he may not meet the requirements to run for the title.
Besides Embiid, Nikola Jokic stands in SGA’s way at the moment. He has the second-best odds of winning the award. This will be his third MVP title reign in four years if he does finish at the top. However, SGA isn’t too far from Jokic in the rankings. Notably, the Thunder have a much better record than the defending champions, Denver Nuggets. But there are certain areas which SGA needs to improve on before posing a major threat to Jokic.