Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Isn't Wading Into MVP Debates
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the reigning league MVP, and barring a surprise close to the season, he will win his second award after the season. He's the betting favorite right now, although the gap has closed significantly. While talks heat up, SGA refuses to do anything but play the game.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lets his game make MVP case
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just had an outstanding game as the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder topped the East-leading Detroit Pistons in overtime, albeit with Cade Cunningham sidelined. He dropped an absurd 47 points on 12/19 shooting. He also added five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
That is a pretty big MVP statement. Recently, Cade Cunningham claimed he should be in talks for MVP (before going down). Victor Wembanyama claimed he was the MVP, and he even backed up his argument by providing reasons.
With the same opportunity, Gilgeous-Alexander didn't say much. "I think it's good for the league. I think it's good chatter," said the guard. "It gives people something to talk about. There's a lot of good players in this league and a lot of guys in the conversation because of that."
When pressed, he said, "No, I'm good. Thanks for asking, though. Yeah, I'm good. I let my game do the talking." After 47 points, including 21 in the fourth quarter and overtime of a four-point win to get to 60 on the year, it's hard to blame him.
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SGA on his performance
With 6:57 left in the fourth quarter, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander checked back into the contest. He scored or assisted on all but one basket the rest of the way, turning a seven-point deficit into a four-point overtime win, even after his game-winner in regulation was wiped away for an offensive foul.
"A lot of times, I try to let the game come to me," said Gilgeous-Alexander, who was perfect from the floor in overtime. "I try to just play within the game, do whatever the game is telling me -- and tonight, I just felt like I needed to go take it. I needed to go be aggressive. I need to go make plays. I needed to score the ball, specifically."
As is typical in games involving Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP got to the free-throw line a lot (25 times). There's a ton of debate about how he gets to the line, but he does a lot of work driving to the basket and the midrange, where there's more contact. Still, J.B. Bickerstaff doesn't love the free-throw rate the Thunder guard enjoyed.
"He's elite at what he does," Bickerstaff said. "You've got to give him a ton of credit for his skill set and his ability to create those contacts and create those whistles. There's rules for a reason, and he's mastered to manipulate them. That's a talent, that's a skill that he's been blessed with. We've got to continue to play physical. Twenty-five free throws. We shot 23. That's hard to overcome."
MVP odds
A few weeks ago, the Thunder guard was clear of every competitor for MVP. Now, the gap has closed. He's still the favorite, but Victor Wembanyama is closing fast. Between those two, the final weeks of the season are going to be thrilling.
Right now, Gilgeous-Alexander is -300, but he was -1500 a few weeks ago. Wembanyama has surged to +300 on FanDuel. Luka Doncic is +3000, and Nikola Jokic is +10000. It's become a two-man race between the Spurs star and SGA. The recent NBA.com ladder update pushed Wembanyama into first over Gilgeous-Alexander.
"I think the voters take (SGA's ability to work through tough circumstances) really seriously and look at it really hard," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. "They watch all the players more than I do. I watch one player. I obviously have spoken many times about how I feel about him, but it's out of our control. He goes out there, he plays, he focuses on what he can control, he stays inside the team -- and then the chips fall where they may."
If the chips were to fall now, Gilgeous-Alexander would likely win the vote. But he's not going to say anything about it.
