The Oklahoma City Thunder exacted their revenge on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night following a seven-point defeat in Cleveland a week ago. It was a blowout this time as the OKC won by 20 points, 134-114. Thunder MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 40 points in the matchup, showing exactly why he is MVP material this season. It’s also a reason why Chris Mannix, Senior Writer with Sports Illustrated, has SGA over Nikola Jokić as the league’s midseason MVP.
Thunder MVP Candidate Snags Midseason Vote
OKC Thunders Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Named Sports Illustrated MVP Favorite
In the on-court postgame interview following his 40-point outburst against the Cavaliers, Shai noted that he didn’t need free throws to score points. It’s quite the statement, but he wasn’t lying. It simply goes to show the dominant way he’s scoring the basketball this year. He’s averaging a career-high 31.6 PPG, a couple of ticks above his previous career-high of 31.4 in the 2022-23 season. Shai is a monster and an elite offensive force, proving Mannix’s position on the MVP matter.
“My preseason pick for MVP is my midseason pick and, barring injuries and a historic collapse by OKC, will likely be my end-of-season pick. SGA is an elite, two-way player posting impressive numbers—31.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists per game on 53%/36%/90% shooting splits—on a team running away with the Western Conference. He checks all the boxes.”
Mannix goes against his contemporary, Liam McKeone, who sided with Jokić as the midseason MVP. The way SGA is playing, and with the standings difference between his Thunder and Jokić’s Nuggets, Shai could very well be on his way to securing his first-ever NBA MVP award. What’s crazy is that OKC is giving no indication that they’re about to slow down or collapse.
60+ Win Season Secures MVP for SGA
It’s rather remarkable that we’re witnessing two teams—OKC and Cleveland—on pace for 70+ win seasons together. As it stands today, both mirror each other’s records at 34-6. Will both teams hit 70 wins? It’s unlikely, considering that each team will experience a down week or string of up-and-down play at some point. No team has reached 70 wins since the Golden State Warriors did in 2016. So, if not 70, how about 60? If OKC reaches 60 or more wins, that has to cement SGA’s MVP chances. While Jokić is putting together his MVP season, the Nuggets are not headed for a 60-win season by any means.
The Second Canadian to Win
If SGA wins MVP honors, he would be the second player hailing from Canada to reach the milestone. Steve Nash, although born in South Africa, is a Canadian citizen. He won back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006 with the Phoenix Suns. Shai would follow Nash in bringing a little bit of glory to the Canadian NBA landscape. Not since the Toronto Raptors won their first-ever championship in 2019 has NBA Canada had much to cheer about.
Of course, this season is not SGA’s last chance. He will have many more seasons ahead to win an MVP. That said, this season might be his best chance, considering the predicted future success of players like Victor Wembanyama, Ja Morant, and Anthony Edwards. That trio will be battling for MVP status for years to come. If Shai’s going to win it, this should be the year.
