OKC Thunder: Add Dwyane Wade to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander fan club

OKC Thunder cornerstone Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is impressing the fan base and now he can add former player Dwyane Wade to that list.

When the OKC Thunder fanbase gave Paul George a warm welcome in his return three were a couple reasons why. Not the least of which is the youngster Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who was the pivotal asset Sam Presti demanded in the trade with the Clippers.

The sophomore point guard immediately proved why he was the essential piece of getting the deal completed given his early production with his new team. That he also was the catalyst to defeating the Clippers and outplaying Paul George only served to drive the point home.

This past week SGA achieved a new career high in scoring 32 points versus the Phoenix Suns. He matched that output in back to back games when he repeated the output versus the Clippers.

One former player who took to social media to relay his fandom for Shai was Dwyane Wade.

The eventual Hall of Famer stated “Shai came into the league with the pace of a veteran. This kid is special.”

Although the five draft picks OKC Thunder General Manager Sam Presti collected in the trade will help form the future of the team it was important to add a young asset. Draft picks while wonderful aren’t guaranteed to meet expectations.

More from Thunder News

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

Getting a player who has already demonstrated the ability to perform ensures the Thunder get guaranteed value.

In the match versus the Clippers, Terrance Ferguson and others helped to lock down Paul George who scored 18 points but required 17 shots to get them.

In addition, George was limited in most areas of his game grabbing three rebounds, dishing two dimes, and two steals while turning the ball over five times.

Gilgeous-Alexander equaled or surpassed PG13 in all aspects of the game with his 32 points, three rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

The Flash isn’t the last player former or present who’ll become part of the SGA fan club. The best part is with the point guard being so young Thunder Nation gets the benefit of experiencing each time he sets a career best of which there are sure to be ample.