With the curtains being drawn on the regular season, the excitement continues to rise over the 2024 MVP candidates. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains a prominent name on that list following his remarkable endeavors throughout the campaign. Amidst the anticipation, Skip Bayless recently shared his take on the Canadian’s MVP case. Interestingly, Chet Holmgren nonchalantly agreed with the sports analyst, paving the way for an exciting scenario.
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Bayless’ words surfaced after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s latest 135-86 home win over the Dallas Mavericks. The triumph cemented the top-seed spot for the franchise while turning the 72-year-old’s MVP prediction into potential reality. Consequently, he emphasized his views on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “I said if the young Thunder wind up with the No. 1 seed in the West, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should be MVP. They did and he is”.
The declaration made headlines all around. Amidst the interest in the statement, Holmgren backed the sports analyst with an underlying tone of mockery. “Rare skip W,” the OKC youngster wrote to showcase his support for Bayless.
These words put the spotlight on Gilgeous-Alexander while adding volume to his rise. After all, the 25-year-old played a key role in OKC’s emergence as a championship contender this season. His averages of 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2 steals per game, as per NBA.com, solidified his status as a leading figure in the NBA. Alongside that, his field goal percentage of 53.5% also remained noteworthy.
These endeavors have kept him in contention for the 2024 MVP award throughout the campaign. In fact, as per the latest Kia MVP ladder, the point guard remained ahead of the likes of Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the race. Holding the number two spot, the 6ft 6″ sensation was only outranked by the 2x MVP, Nikola Jokic.
This scenario may change with Gilgeous-Alexander’s OKC moving ahead of Jokic’s Denver Nuggets on the Western Conference table. So, Bayless’s words may just come true, after all.
Skip Bayless’ takes on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander varied throughout the season
Despite his admiration for Gilgeous-Alexander’s talent, Bayless had previously highlighted his shortcomings. During an Undisputed episode in March 2024, the analyst expressed his thoughts while comparing the Toronto-born with Doncic. On that occasion, he put the latter ahead of the OKC talisman in multiple categories.
Bayless declared, “He [Shai] cannot assist the basketball the way [Luka] does, and Shai can’t rebound remotely the way [Luka] does, and it’s below-the-rim rebounds. It’s like Dennis Rodman-esque the way [Luka’s] rebounding, but he’s 18th in the league. So he’s a top-20 rebounder”.
However, more than two months before that, he voiced a different opinion. At that time, Gilgeous-Alexander made the headlines with 36 points in a home win against the Boston Celtics. It kickstarted Bayless’ support from the Canadian guard in the MVP race, as he stated, “SGA, 36 more in a home win over the NBA’s best team, the Celtics. SGA MVP”.
Thus, his recent comments serve as an extension of this statement. Yet, his constant fluctuations in his stance devalue his backing to a large extent. Till now, Bayless has seemingly used his words to provide himself with the benefit of the doubt, raising concerns about his beliefs. Although, the latest declaration may come true raising the excitement over the award.
