Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander mined from some unexpected sources when he constructed his ideal player.
In a video shared by FIBA, Gilgeous-Alexander said his player would have Kobe Bryant’s scoring ability, LeBron James’ athleticism and Chris Paul’s on-court intelligence. Considering all three are either in the Hall of Fame or destined to get there, they’re obvious names to list off.
However, Gilgeous-Alexander cited Andrew Nembhard for the passing category and Lu Dort for defense.
The two-time All-Star is nothing if not loyal to his teammates. Dort and Nembhard are fellow members of the Canadian national team, while the former shares a locker room with SGA in Oklahoma City.
While Dort has drawn plenty of praise for his defending, he’d probably be much further down the list for most fans when highlighting one player, past or present, for his defense. Nembhard, likewise, has been a solid playmaker through his first two years, but his 4.3 assists per game don’t exactly jump off the page.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who steadily improved across his NBA career until he became an MVP candidate by his fifth year, has spoken about how raw traits are only part of the formula for building a great player.
“It’s a mentality,” he said to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne in April. “The skill stuff I just hammer away at. But what makes a great player is how they carry that to the court. How they control fourth quarters and win games.
“LeBron [James] is LeBron because for 20 some odd years he’s controlled games.”
One assumes it’s implied his ideal player would have that same kind of mental fortitude.
