OKC Thunder: B/R believes a 2021 All-Star nod is not in play for SGA

Though the OKC Thunder are certainly in the midst of a full-fledged rebuild, they are by no means your typical tankathon type team.

Unlike the likes of the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks from the mid-2010s (Knicks, however, are still churning along), two examples of teams that searched endlessly to find their future star, Oklahoma City begins their rebuilding phase with their franchise player already intact.

Acquired two seasons ago in the Paul George/ Los Angeles Clippers trade, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander burst onto the scene in 2019-20, serving as the leading scorer (19 PPG) for the postseason bound Thunder at just 21-years-old whilst running alongside future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Chris Paul.

Now, with the Point God in Phoenix, SGA has taken the reigns of the franchise and, in turn, is having himself a tremendous follow-up campaign.

OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves All-Star consideration

Through 18 games, Gilgeous-Alexander is posting averages of 21.9 points, 6.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds a game on 51 percent shooting from the field and 37 percent shooting from deep.

Behind his play, the team is holding an 8-10 record, is constantly rotating in and out of the playoff picture, and, individually, SGA is looking well on his way to heading towards his first All-Star appearance.

Recently, Bleacher Report combatted this belief of a potential 2021 All-Star nod for the 22-year-old, as writer Dan Favale believes his struggles coupled with the talent pool at the guard position out West will be the keys to keeping him out.

"Assuming more control of the offense has given way to growing pains. His turnover rate has spiked, and he’s testing higher-leverage passes that don’t always pan out. This is part of the job description. He is plumbing uncharted territory, and things could be worse. He’s also generally handling the extra volume admirably.This rings just as true with his scoring. More than 82 percent of his made buckets are going unassisted, including 64.5 percent of his three-point conversions—demonstrative increases over last year’s marks of 70.9 and 46.0, respectively. He’s on pace to shoot a career high on both twos and threes despite the added difficulty.Bagging his first All-Star selection may be out of the question this year. The Western Conference’s guard pool remains a bloodbath even after James Harden migrated east."

To his credit, Favale did mention that despite his beliefs, Gilgeous-Alexander’s play will give him an “above average chance” of getting in but, ultimately, he thinks the guard will end up falling short.

Be it this year or next, one thing can certainly be agreed upon between TI and B/R: the All-Star game is realistically on the horizon for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.