With the NBA season going strong for two weeks now, things are changing and changing fast. Expectations for both teams and players prior to the start of 2022-23 have been shattered. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s record sits with a winning percentage of .500 and Aleksej Pokusevski looks like an NBA player.
One of the other major shifts that appear to be happening is the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander evolving into a top-five scorer in the NBA and some would say a top 15 or 20 player in the league.
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After last night’s 37-point outburst against the Denver Nuggets, Gilgeous-Alexander has crept into the top five in points per game, according to the NBA. Only Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kevin Durant are averaging more buckets on a nightly basis and all three will undoubtedly be inducted into the Hall of Fame barring something crazy happening.
Gilgeous-Alexander’s ascendance as one of the premier bucket-getters in the NBA comes in four years for the 23-year-old point guard who just re-signed for the Oklahoma City Thunder on a maximum contract this past summer.
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If the Canadian superstar can maintain this level of scoring throughout the rest of the season, it will mark the first time since the 2018-19 season that a Thunder player finished in the top five in scoring. No, it wasn’t Russell Westbrook. It was Paul George who averaged 28 points per game that season.
With 76 games left on the schedule, Gilgeous-Alexander has a long way to go to achieve the above feat but is more than capable due to his improved free-throw shooting, efficient mid-range game, and ability to get to the foul line .
And the Thunder will need to reap the benefits of Gilgeous-Alexander’s high-level scoring to continue to rack up wins and defy more expectations.
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