The Golden State Warriors and OKC Thunder have already played four times this season, with OKC winning the season series 3-1. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played in three of these games, averaging 34.0 PPG, 6.0 APG and 4.7 RPG on 48.8% from the field.
Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten better every season he has been in the NBA, and was All-NBA first team last season. Seemingly taking another leap this season, Gilgeous-Alexander is not only putting up dominant numbers, but he is doing it on a winning team.
An early-season MVP candidate, Gilgeous-Alexander has helped lead the Thunder to a 14-7 record, which is good for 2nd in the Western Conference. Warriors superstar Steph Curry was asked about OKC following this latest matchup, and immediately spoke on Gilgeous-Alexander and what they are building around him.
“They have a certain style,” Curry said of OKC. “It’s obviously centered around Shai and the way he’s playing. He can control the tempo, he can get whatever shot he wants… They put pieces around him that are threats and can space the floor. Got guys that are comfortable with the ball in their hands… They give you a lot of different looks and problems of who to key in on. You send a lot of attention to Shai, and somebody else can create. That’s their identity, and when it works they’re a tough team to guard. And it’s worked a lot this year.”
The Thunder are tough, and Gilgeous-Alexander is a big reason why.
