Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nominated for Western Conference Player of Month

The Oklahoma City Thunder have a star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. When the OKC Thunder shipped away Paul George to the L.A. Clippers and later Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets, fans understood it was the right decision to make. However, that did not make it any less scary.

Those trades marked the official end of the first book of Thunder basketball. It was on to volume two. The end of an edition that saw countless future basketball hall of Famers stroll through Bricktown, gave this city and state their first professional sports team, and turned us into a Major League City. There is no guarantee you get any starts, much less more.

Look around, teams like the Hornets never get one, and hope LaMelo Ball eventually will be a star. But the only way to acquire said stars is through the NBA Draft, so Presti went all in on draft assets in these trades. However, he also captured a guard from Kentucky fresh off a solid rookie season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named NBA Western Conference Player of the Month nominee after winning Player of the week earlier this month

The Oklahoma City Thunder saw Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a versatile weapon, and that is just how Billy Donovan used him in his first year in Bricktown which ended in a surprising playoff run alongside two ball-dominant guards Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander eventually became the last player standing to officially start the OKC rebuild, and now, he is playing at a superstar level.

The 24-year-old is inked to a five-year max contract with no opt-outs. This year, through 20 games, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31 points, five rebounds, six assists, almost two steals, and a block per game.

Still shooting the ball effectively, Gilgeous-Alexander turns in 50/34/92 shooting splits. The only thing that held him back from taking home the honor, and now just being a nominee was the team’s win-loss record. The NBA has already tabbed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a player of the week this past month.

This young team will eventually start to win, if not this year, next year, or soon after. But in the meantime, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has announced himself as a star.

While the OKC fanbase has been spoiled with stars in its rich history, these types of players are never promised. Do not take them for granted. Congratulations to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on being a nominee for the Western Conference Player of the Month.