OKC Thunder: 3 stars SGA should rank ahead of on NBA top 30+ list
Bottom tier (22 – 30 ) – Gilgeous-Alexander vs Ja Morant
This tier and the honorable mentions is where Intentions takes the most exception for Gilgeous-Alexander’s exclusion. Players in the 25 to 29 slots are all new entries to this updated iteration of the list.
Recency bias and a championship likely lead to Holiday’s inclusion while Westbrook returns to the list very likely because of where he’ll play this season. Ja Morant and Randle undoubtedly make the cut given their role and appearance in the 2021 postseason. Towns make the cut more for his capability and prior production than last season’s effort.
In this segment, the player who offers a similar role to his club as Gilgeous-Alexander is Morant. Presumably, Morant lands on the list based on the Grizzlies’ post-season appearance. Yet there is an argument to be made for SGA to be in this spot especially comparing their production and overall effect.
| Rk | Player | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | 2PA | 2P% | eFG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | 35 | 33.7 | 16.1 | .508 | 4.9 | .418 | 11.3 | .547 | .571 | 6.5 | .808 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 0.7 | 23.7 |
| 2 | Ja Morant | 63 | 32.6 | 15.2 | .449 | 3.8 | .303 | 11.4 | .499 | .487 | 5.9 | .728 | 4.0 | 7.4 | 0.2 | 19.1 |
Provided by Stathead.com: View Stathead Tool Used
Generated 9/16/2021.
SGA wins every shooting category including two-point range which is where Morant feasts. Considering Morant is the primary ball-handler on his team and handles most of the playmaking for Shai to be only 1.1 assists behind is impressive. Factor in the personnel Morant had at his disposal in comparison to the Canadian and again his efficiency stands out.
22: Khris Middleton (102 points)
23: Rudy Gobert (92 points)
24: Jaylen Brown (68 points)
25: Jrue Holiday (61 points)
26: Karl-Anthony Towns (52 points)
27: Russell Westbrook (42 points)
28: Ja Morant (30 points)
29: Julius Randle (29 points)
30: Ben Simmons (21 points)