Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is proving why he’s expected to win the Most Valuable Player award in these NBA Playoffs.
The point guard was not expected to develop into a superstar when he was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018.
But the 26-year-old has gone from strength to strength with the Oklahoma City Thunder over the past six seasons, and he’s now one of the best in the world.
Former NBA player Tony Allen has heaped arguably the highest possible praise on Gilgeous-Alexander after his latest performance.
The Thunder are 3-2 up in the Western Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, and it is mostly due to Gilgeous-Alexander’s play.
He provided 31 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in Game 5 as OKC won 112-105 to stay ahead in the hard-fought series.
After the game, Allen compared Gilgeous-Alexander to NBA legends and world-class playoff performers Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
“I like where Shai Gilgeous is going. He’s going to his inner Kobe, his inner Jordan. Defenses surrounding him, and he’s ready for whatever you’ve got coming.
“He still managed to get 30, get buckets. ‘I’m going to [do] what I practiced this whole summer, trust in my work.’ I just think he unlocked something.”
Of course, Gilgeous-Alexander has a long way to go to prove he’s as good as Bryant or Jordan, but leading the Thunder to the championship this season would be a great start.
Few players have performed as well as Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. He ranks seventh among all players in points.
He’s only had two quiet games – one in each series – out of nine, with excellent averages of 28.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.7 assists.
| Player | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Jalen Brunson (NYK) | 30.1 | 4.0 | 8.0 |
| Donovan Mitchell (CLE) | 29.6 | 4.7 | 3.9 |
| Jayson Tatum (BOS) | 28.1 | 11.5 | 5.4 |
| Shai Gilgeous-ALexander (OKC) | 28.0 | 6.6 | 6.7 |
| Anthony Edwards (MIN) | 27.0 | 8.1 | 5.2 |
| Nikola Jokic (DEN) | 26.5 | 12.9 | 8.1 |
Gilgeous-Alexander is obviously fortunate to play on a great team with a great head coach, Mark Daigneault, but he’s the only superstar on his team.
That means he would receive as much credit as possible if he led the Thunder to the NBA title, and would probably take Nikola Jokic’s crown as the best player in basketball.
