Shaquille O’Neal puts ‘baddest player in the game’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Nikola Jokic in MVP race

SGA has a great shot at MVP this season.

Shaquille O’Neal puts ‘baddest player in the game’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Nikola Jokic in MVP race

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Shaquille O'Neal

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 25-year-old Thunder has made a lot of noise this season. It is his fifth season with the Thunder, and Shai is putting up MVP numbers, while also leading the team to the top of the Western Conference. The OKC Thunder have a record of 50-21, standing on top of the West, and also being a serious playoff threat with the anticipated MVP.

NBA legend and Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal recently picked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win the MVP award. Other elite players on the MVP list include Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic. Out of all, The Diesel went on to pick Shai, as he is also part of the team that has been dominating the league.

Shaquille O’Neal said:

FS Video
The MVP is SGA. Period. I saw something today, he's one of few guys that have 50 30-point games in a season. And he meets my criteria and everybody else's. He's the baddest player in the game and their team is 49-21 (now 50-21).
Shaquille O’Neal said

SGA is putting up 30.4 points, 2.1 steals (league leader), 5.6 rebounds, and 6.3 assists on 54% shooting from the field. His numbers have been on the rise, and as told by Shaq, Shai has played 50 games this season, scoring at least 30 points in each. The Canadian has played 70 games so far and accomplished a great feat so far this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has improved drastically

Two seasons ago, Shai was putting up significantly fewer numbers. The Thunder are the second youngest team in the NBA behind the San Antonio Spurs. However, the difference between their records is one to see. The OKC Thunder have managed to be a title contender this season. From a franchise point of view, the Thunder have gone through a serious change in the roster and a successful rebuild.

With SGA being the leader alongside Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams. It will be interesting to see how far the team can go this offseason. Shai will be playing a more responsible role this time, entering the postseason, whereas the younger guys will look to make a dominant debut in the postseason.

With just 11 games left in the season, the Thunder will look to settle as the first seed, leaving the Nuggets behind. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will have the best odds if the Thunder can manage to make a deep playoff run. Till then, he will be taking his time to prepare for the real deal.

In case you missed it: