After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke out as the No. 1 option on the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, fans who saw him play were quick to notice he looks like a budding star.
The stats back it up: Gilgeous-Alexander was one of 14 players to average at least 23 points, four rebounds and five assists. He was one of only seven players to do so while shooting at least 50% from the field. And Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were the only three players to achieve those marks while shooting better than 40% from 3.
Yet not everyone is convinced. NBA.com ranked the top 30 players in the league, and Gilgeous-Alexander did not make the cut.
That isn’t the biggest travesty. You can make legitimate arguments that all 30 players ranked are better than the Thunder guard. Nos. 25-30 were Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Karl-Anthony Towns, Russell Westbrook, Ja Morant, Julius Randle and Ben Simmons, in that order.
But Gilgeous-Alexander also wasn’t mentioned as a notable omission. Those seven players, who would presumably be Nos. 31-37 in some order, had the list extended that far, were:
- LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets
- Mike Conley Jr., Utah Jazz
- DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
- Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
- Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
- Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
- Nikola Vucevic, Chicago Bulls
Given the All-Star pedigree on this list, it will be tough for Gilgeous-Alexander to gain respect.
If his leaps from year to year so far have been any indication, the 23-year-old will be ready to roll next month with his new contract in tow.