It’s safe to say the Oklahoma City Thunder has a bonafide MVP candidate to rely on for the next several years.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished out his second year in the top five of the NBA MVP race, this time coming up just short behind now 3-time winner Nikola Jokic. If the last two seasons have shown anything, it shows that he’s primed to continue to be a top competitor for the award as the leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The 26-year-old’s supporting cast has only gotten better with the additions of Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein during the offseason, shaping for a Thunder roster fully capable of regaining another No. 1 seed position. A player’s ability to win an MVP only goes as far as his team’s success, and it won’t be a problem in this case.
Mo Dakhil of Bleacher Report listed Gilgeous-Alexander as his No. 1 “way-too early” MVP pick, which shouldn’t be a surprise from anyone. He has the third-highest odds on FanDuel (+550) for the award and has established himself as one of the best players in the entire NBA.
That being said, how much can Gilgeous-Alexander improve on to secure an MVP? He averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game on 53.5/35.3/87.4% shooting splits as-is, which are difficult numbers to significantly increase.
The only area that Gilgeous-Alexander could make strides to improve on is his 3-point shooting, which sits around league average. If he can tap into that shot, it would add the only element he needs to become an unstoppable force offensively and a true three-level scorer. That could be enough to also raise his points per game total that’d put him over the edge of other candidates.
There’s always going to be vast competition when it comes to the NBA’s MVP award. Whether it be Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo or any other superstar across the league, it won’t be an easy race. But Gilgeous-Alexander has all of the tools to make it happen, especially heading into a potentially fruitful season.
