OKC Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s path to the 2022 NBA All-Star game

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is headed to Cleveland!… No, this is not an awful fake trade regarding the OKC Thunder star. The 2022 NBA All-Star weekend will be held on February 18th-20th in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Oklahoma City Thunder hope to send their Canadian star to Cleveland in the middle of February after failing to ship SGA to Atlanta a year ago for the NBA’s grand event. Last year’s selection evolved controversy.

Can OKC Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make the 2022 NBA All-Star game?

You can make the case that Mike Conley Jr. was given a lifetime achievement award last year earning an All-Star nod for the first time in his 14-year NBA tenure in 2021 representing the Utah Jazz. At the time, the league’s best team, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carried one of the worst teams in the league to a respectable record before being shut down with an injury.

SGA was viewed as a spunky upstart point guard that will have plenty of time to crack the best of the west throughout his career. Thus, he was passed up for the elder statesmen, despite having a better resume.

Things are different now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has long-term security, he will play for the same head coach for back-to-back years, playing the same position, in the same offensive system, for the first time since high school.  After being a one-and-done at Kentucky, traded away from L.A., being a shooting guard under Billy Donovan, and a point guard under Mark Daigneault.

The recently turned 23-year-old will also have an entire training camp, beginning September 28th, and a full slate of preseason action, to get acclimated to the new pieces on this OKC Thunder roster.

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Those factors, plus his eye-popping workout videos on Instagram, lead most Thunder fans to believe he can take another step in his development this season. Shouldn’t that be rewarded with a trip to the biggest weekend of the NBA regular season?

The factors working against him are the fact Oklahoma City plays zero true nationally televised games, and just three NBATV games before the All-Star break all against projected bottom feeders in 2021-22 (San Antonio, Detriot, and Cleveland).

Before the break, the Thunder will play in nine back-to-back sets and one five games in seven nights stretch. If Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s foot injury is at all limiting him early on, those are a lot of games that could feature the OUT (rest) label on the injury report.

However, I do not anticipate SGA to be on a return to play plan that features him sitting out back-to-backs, he is 23 years old. It is worth noting though, given the bigger picture of this season.

The Thunder also play the 76ers twice, Utah twice, the New York Knicks twice,  the Toronto Raptors twice, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Miami Heat, all before the February spectacular. Those are some hard-nosed defenses that are capable of giving a young guard, with limited help around him, fits.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will also play the L.A. Lakers three times, Luka Doncic and the Mavs four times, the Golden State Warriors three times, the Brooklyn Nets twice, Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks once, all highlight the Thunder schedule before the All-Star selections.

If SGA can dominate these teams that NBA fans who are most likely to go vote for the All-Star festivities have their eyes glued to, that can go a long way.

Before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Al Horford were shut down for the season, the team was 19-25, with the 29th offense in the NBA, the 11th defense in the league, and the 26th Net rating. While Thunder fans might over glorify what last year’s squad was with Shai, individual to be a nearly .50/.40/.90 player when everyone knows you are the only option for a terrible offense, is incredibly impressive.

Now, takeaway George Hill‘s 14 games, and Horford’s 28 games, if the OKC Thunder point guard can duplicate that, or even build on last year, you have to assume he is a lock for the NBA All-Star game. That is the pathway, those are the obstacles in his way, so can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make the 2022 NBA All-Star game?

The Kentucky product also has the backing of big NBA influencers who will jump on every blog, podcast, and television show campaigning for SGA to be named an All-Star.

Let’s get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Cleveland, and not for Evan Mobley.