“All I know is I coach the Thunder and on a lot of nights, when I walk off the floor, I felt like we had the best player on the court.”
This was Oklahoma City head coach Mark Daigneault last week, on Feb. 15, when asked about the All-Star candidacy of guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
On Sunday, Gilgeous-Alexander posted 31 points to lead the Thunder over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Daigneault was again asked about the guard’s case to be an All-Star, and the coach echoed what he had said a week prior.
“Most nights that he’s on the court, I feel like we’ve got the best player on the court,” Daigneault said. “I felt that way tonight when I walked off the floor, and that’s what an All-Star feels like. I think he’s certainly deserving of that consideration.”
This season, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 22.6 points, 6.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds, numbers matched by just five other players, four of whom are starters. His 50% shooting from the field and 40% from 3 are the highest of his career despite the increase in attempts and defensive pressure.
“He’s had an unbelievable jump this season. He’s taken on a completely new role and he’s never been more efficient. Makes everybody else better, and I think some of the success we’ve had as a team has a lot to do with him,” Daigneault said on Feb. 15.
Even with that growth, he finished eighth among Western Conference guards in All-Star voting from fans, players and the media, which leaves it up to the coaches to decide whether or not Gilgeous-Alexander will be named a reserve.
After the game on Sunday, a couple players were asked about it in the postgame press conferences.
From center Mike Muscala: “He’s so consistent, he’s so skilled, he makes his teammates better and he’s a heck of a passer. He’s a great young player. I think he’s an All-Star for sure.”
From guard Hamidou Diallo: “On a night-in and night-out basis, to do what he’s doing, on the level that he’s doing it at … it speaks for itself. There’s not much to think about.”
He’s not a shoe-in by any means, though, and only Gilgeous-Alexander acknowledged the elephant in the room, the only real argument against him: Who would he make it over? The Western Conference is loaded with guards who are having All-Star-caliber seasons.
“It’s tough, there’s so many good players in the league — in the Western Conference, in my case,” the third-year guard said.
Beyond the starters of Steph Curry and Luka Doncic, this list includes but is not limited to Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, Chris Paul, Devin Booker, D’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, Jamal Murray and Ja Morant.
The two wild card openings can also include non-guards, which makes the road even tougher.
The reserves will be announced Tuesday. We’ll find out at that point if Gilgeous-Alexander made it and the Thunder can continue their 11-year streak with an All-Star.