When the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder‘s historic common season got here to an in depth and Mark Daigneault took to the rostrum, he was requested about his tackle the MVP dialogue.
The fourth-year head coach made positive to make use of his response as a chance to focus on his star participant — Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“There may be not an evening the place I don’t really feel like we’ve got the very best participant on the ground,” Daigneault stated post-game. “We’re a top-five defence, top-five offence. He’s a two-end participant that contributes to each of these issues.”
His feedback got here after the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, led by Gilgeous-Alexander, crushed the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday to earn the No. 1 seed within the Western Convention.
If that wasn’t sufficient, the victory additionally made OC the youngest crew in NBA historical past to clinch a No. 1 seed and in addition the youngest to win 57 video games in a season.
“I believe his consistency, his poise, his confidence, has an unbelievable contagious impact,” Daigneault continued. “Whenever you take a look at what he did this yr, what seeds he planted in earlier years, there’s nobody I’d moderately have on our crew than him.”
A variety of the Thunder’s success all through the season will be attributed to the play of their All-Star guard, a 25-year-old Hamilton native.
Gilgeous-Alexander completed the common season with averages of 30.1 factors (third within the NBA), 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and two steals. It not solely strains him up for a second-consecutive All-NBA choice, however extra notably, places Gilgeous-Alexander deep within the MVP combine.
If he pulled it off, he’d be the second Canadian ever to with the award, after Steve Nash took dwelling the {hardware} in back-to-back seasons between 2004-2006.
Nonetheless, the competitors is stiff with two-time MVP Nikola Jokic as one other favorite to take dwelling the award, together with the likes of Luka Doncic, who completed the yr because the NBA’s high scorer (33.9 factors per sport).
Oklahoma Metropolis is again within the playoffs for the primary time since 2020 and is a high seed for simply the second time since relocating from Seattle. In 2013, the final time they have been atop the Western Convention, OKC led by the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka.
The Thunder completed final season because the tenth seed with simply 40 wins. In what ended up being a profession yr for the guard, they improved by 16 wins.
Daigneault wasn’t the one member of the Thunder group to publicly again Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP case. Teammate Chet Holmgren took to social media, agreeing with a put up made by Fox Sports activities persona Skip Bayless on SGA’s case for the award.
This outpouring of help comes a few days after NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, together with Kenny Smith sided with Gilgeous-Alexander for MVP on Contained in the NBA on TNT.
“Denver has had nice success,” Smith stated. “However the person success within the crew’s greatness has been larger in SGA.”
Whether or not he wins or not, it’s clear the sixth-year guard has cemented himself as probably the greatest gamers within the league, and somebody who’ll doubtless be in these sorts of discussions for years to come back.
And for what it’s price, he’d like to choose up an MVP for the hassle he’s put on this season.
“I hope I get it, sure,” Gilgeous-Alexander stated post-game, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “No matter occurs, occurs, however whoever will get it’s deserving for positive.”
