As the MVP conversation heats up, it seems Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has created a bit of a separation with a few stellar performances. It certainly helps his case that he has been able to elevate his play in the absence of his co-stars Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. That said, as great as SGA has been, he hasn’t done enough to convince everyone that he is deserving of another MVP.
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It would be an injustice to expect Gilgeous-Alexander to top his season from last year. That was one of the most impressive individual and team campaigns that the league has ever seen. Regardless, he is still putting forth an incredible body of work this year. He is currently averaging 31.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game on a career-high 55.4% shooting from the field.
Take his numbers and combine them with the Thunder’s league-best 52-15 record, and you have an MVP-worthy season. In an exclusive interview with The SportsRush’s Nickeem Khan, Rashad McCants highlighted Gilgeous-Alexander’s incredible play. However, he wasn’t able to go as far as to lean on the four-time All-Star as his favorite for MVP.
“Shai has never been one of my MVP favorites,” McCants proclaimed. “I haven’t been able to give him that type of nod, even though he’s consistent.”
Consistent seems like an understatement at this point. In the Thunder’s latest game against the Boston Celtics, Gilgeous-Alexander’s consistency put him in the record books alongside Wilt Chamberlain. He snapped the legendary big man’s record for most consecutive 20 points or more games, with 127. That is quite a remarkable achievement.
The MVP has never been an award that is strictly reliant on performance. How a certain MVP prospect’s team has performed in the season matters. Empty stat performances won’t receive acknowledgement for an award of this magnitude.
Although Gilgeous-Alexander certainly meets most of the criteria to be in the running, McCants believes there’s another star player who edges him out. You would assume it is Nikola Jokic, but that would be incorrect.
“My lock is always going to be Wembanyama. Somebody who plays both sides of the ball, somebody who’s affecting both sides of the court all the time. [The Spurs] going from 10th seed to 2, potentially to 1 [is something you can’t ignore]. The things Wembanyama is doing to catapult his team speaks a lot louder than just regular consistency,” McCants revealed.
Victor Wembanyama certainly has a case to be in MVP contention. What he has done with the San Antonio Spurs can’t be understated. The Spurs have gone from a lottery team last season to the second seed in a loaded Western Conference courtesy of the big Frenchman, who has averaged 24.2 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.
The only issue with Wembanyama is that he is close to missing the 65-game requirement for end of season awards. Hopefully, he does meet the threshold to potentially give SGA a run for his money. At the very least, Wembanyama would win Defensive Player of the Year. MVP, on the other hand, is a different beast altogether.
