Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants to be even more dominant than he was in his historic MVP season. In the 2024-25 season, he led the league in scoring, won the Conference Finals MVP, and also the Finals MVP. Despite this, the Canadian superstar, admittedly, wasn’t pleased with how the Oklahoma City Thunder won their first NBA Championship.
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“I didn’t like the way we won,” Shai had said. And his attitude has impressed quite a few people, including Shannon Sharpe, who understands where the OKC man is coming from.
The Thunder had a 68-14 record, which was the best in the NBA. But in the playoffs, they weren’t quite as unstoppable. They were taken to seven games by both the Denver Nuggets and the Indiana Pacers (in the Finals). Also, there was an element of ‘what if,’ considering injuries to key players in both the opposition squads, felt Sharpe.
“They went seven games with the Nuggets, they went seven games with the Pacers,” said Sharpe on Nightcap, after noting how the playoffs are the real deal because teams get several games to figure their rivals out. That makes winning much more difficult.
“If Aaron Gordon doesn’t hurt his hamstring in that game seven, what happens? If [Tyrese] Haliburton doesn’t tear his Achilles in game seven, what happens…? So I get it,” he continued.
Gilgeous-Alexander also stated that he wants to improve on a personal level, which, to most, will sound absurd because the 2024-25 version of him was that good. “For me as well, as a player, I don’t think I was good in the postseason as I was in the regular season,” he had said.
The way SGA has begun the 2025-26 season, it’s clear that he was serious. Shai is averaging 33 points per game, leading the Thunder to yet another dominant start. They’re first in the Western Conference with a 10-1 record, and as Sharpe pointed out, they’re doing it without Shai’s main deputy, Jalen Williams.
“I like his mentality, I like his mindset, he’s like, ‘I wanna be dominant, I wanna be dominant in the postseason like I was in the regular season,'” Sharpe added.
The playoffs are a long way away, and it’s almost a guarantee that the Thunder will make it comfortably. It’s what happens thereafter that will determine whether the Thunder considers this a successful season or not. One thing is certain, though: Gilgeous-Alexander needs to be the protagonist of the run and stay as motivated as ever.
