“What’s up? What’s up? What’s Up?” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said as he entered the OKC Thunder media room for his end of the year exit interview with the media. The max contract point guard was all smiles during his interview with those of us in the media and gave a calming message to fans.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been out since March 21st with an ankle injury, shutting him down for the rest of the season. This is the second straight year that an injury has ended Gilgeous-Alexander’s season early. That means the media have not been able to talk to the Thunder star since mid-march.
As the losses kept piling up, even despite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander going on a rampage since the All-Star Break averaging 30 points, seven assists, six rebounds, 39-percent from three, and 54-percent from the floor. This led the national media to have a field day with clickbait tweets asking when enough will be enough and SGA will demand out of Bricktown despite being in the playoffs as a member of the Thunder *checks notes* 19 months ago.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander still happy as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, excited for the future, praises Sam Presti and Mark Daigneault
The Oklahoma City Thunder max contract point guard, who sees that extension kick in this offseason, started the quotes off hot by saying “We talk all the time, every time we talk I get a little bit more excited. I am excited about the future of this team for sure.” This quote has left fans spiraling…in a good way. Rushing to the trade machine, searching up lists of possible free agents, and seeing how the Thunder can complete this rebuild. Well, hold your horses a little bit, I do not think the team will rush out and go all in this offseason, but depending on how the NBA Lottery shakes out, they can take a massive step in the right direction.
The star point guard gave more credence to the fans looking for a quick fix by saying “I can not go into details, but we are excited about the future.” What mastermind plan does Sam Presti have up his sleeve?
The biggest takeaway from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s press conference? He is patient. Stop worrying about how the losses will pile up and eventually push the Kentucky product away. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made it clear saying the transparency by Sam Presti makes it easy to “stay patient” going on to say “I am a pretty easy going guy. I’m human. If I do not like something, you guys will see it. That is not the case in this situation. I am positive for a reason.”
We have seen dramatic outbursts on the court by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, his poetry in motion game lends itself to theatrics (I.E. after the shot against the Lakers this year). Apparently, those glimpses into his ethos will not limit themselves to after huge shots. Stop wondering if behind the scenes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not on board with the rebound, he will tell you if/when that time comes.
In the meantime, stop looking for drama. It is the NBA, housing most of their high-profile contest on TNT that markets its network as “drama, period.” the league produces drama every single day which is why it is so captivating. You do not have to look for drama in the association, it will find you.