MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Track to Join Hakeem Olajuwon on Elite NBA Finals List

MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now on Track to Join Hakeem Olajuwon with 4 stocks per game in the NBA Finals.

MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Track to Join Hakeem Olajuwon on Elite NBA Finals List

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hakeem (FS Image)

The OKC Thunder enter Game 3 in Indianapolis on a high after winning a blowout in Game 2. Their offense got back on track after a lull in Game 1, which they conceded defeat in. They’ve largely been successful in limiting Tyrese Haliburton’s offensive impact despite his game winner. On the other end, MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander logged yet another 30-point game and led OKC to almost a wire-to-wire win.

The Thunder’s success depends on how well their MVP plays. SGA is the only player in these Finals capable of imposing his will on a game as a scorer. Jalen Williams has had his ups and downs and will be stoutly guarded by Aaron Nesmith. Chet Holmgren dropped a stinker in Game 1, scoring only six points and getting pummeled on rebounds. They will not have Alex Caruso and Aaron Wiggins scoring 38 combined points in every game.

Their defense, on the other hand, has largely risen to the challenge and proven its mettle. Caruso has already stifled Nikola Jokic and Anthony Edwards and is now bothering Haliburton. Lu Dort and SGA are in great defensive form themselves. They forced 24 turnovers in Game 1 and 15 in Game 2 and are in line to continue on this pace.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander himself has had a large contribution to this figure in the Finals. He had four steals and a block in Game 2 after making three steals in Game 1. This puts him in a rarefied club of players with averages of 4 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game in the Finals. The other four players in this club are Patrick Ewing, Hakeem Olajuwon, Rick Barry and Vlade Divac. Of these, only The Dream has multiple Finals appearances.

OKC as a team are averaging nearly 11 steals per game this year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leads the way with 1.8 per game. He has Caruso, Jalen Williams, Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe hot on his heels. Each of these guards along with SGA is tallying above a steal per game. This marks out the OKC perimeter defense as a historically effective unit at disrupting offensive possessions for their opponents.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having the best run by a guard since Kobe Bryant

It is hard to overstate how great Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been in these playoffs. He started the pace slowly, making a lessened impact against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. He was also relatively off his game during the first three faceoffs against Denver in the second round. But he ascended into a new gear from Game 4 of the Conference Semifinals, and has since been on an offensive tear as a scorer.

He’s now averaging 30.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game in these playoffs. These averages are better numbers than anything Stephen Curry produced through an entire playoff run in his Warriors heyday. On top of this, he’s also playing an elite level of defense, even though he doesn’t guard the opposition’s best perimeter player as his primary assignment.

It might seem sacrilegious to a few readers to see this comparison. After all, Curry has won four championships and averaged at least 28 points per game in two of them, with a great efficiency. But he has mostly had more offensive help than SGA in this run. The Canadian also has to play the role of his team’s offensive engine in addition to being a scorer, dishing to his teammates and playing them into form. Curry has played in more egalitarian offenses with motion concepts.

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