Over the past few seasons, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the most consistent superstars in the NBA.
The 26-year-old guard of the Oklahoma City Thunder is averaging 31 points on 51.6% field goal shooting, 5.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks through his first 31 appearances this season. This puts him on track for a third consecutive season with a scoring average over 30 per game–a feat that only seven players in league history have ever achieved. If he does reach this feat, he will become only the 16th player ever to have three or more seasons in the NBA averaging 30 points per game.
Gilgeous-Alexander, with some help from Jalen Williams, has been the driving force behind Oklahoma City’s Western Conference-best 26-5 win-loss record and if they can keep this up, he is likely to emerge as a front-runner for this season’s NBA Most Valuable Player award for the third straight year. The 26-year-old came close last year as he was the runner-up to Nikola Jokic and the 2025 race may ultimately boil down to these two again.
The record of their respective teams may ultimately give one the edge over the other which currently favors Gilgeous-Alexander as Jokic’s Denver Nuggets are in the middle of the pack in the West with a 16-12 slate.
The strong form of Gilgeous-Alexander over these past few weeks has pushed the Thunder even further up the standings and has padded their lead over the rest of the West, bolstering his case in this MVP race. The two-time NBA All-Star is enjoying his best month of the season so far, averaging 31.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 10 December outings. Excluding their loss in the NBA Cup finals–a game that does not count against their regular season record–Oklahoma City has won 11-straight games.
Oklahoma City will only go as far as Gilgeous-Alexander takes them and if he can stay healthy over these next few years, many years of contention–and potentially a championship–should be on the horizon for this franchise. His evolution across his six years with this franchise has been a sight to behold, but the scariest thing for the rest of the league is that it looks like he is just getting started.
