Not only do the OKC Thunder boast the best record in the Western Conference at 26-5, but they also roster arguably the top player in the entire association in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
A true two-way superstar, the 26-year-old has led the charge for this promising young squad all season long and did so once again Sunday evening during Oklahoma City's 130-106 beatdown over the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
In just 28 minutes of action, Gilgeous-Alexander went on to post monstrous all-around averages of 35 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 4 blocks while shooting 73.7 percent from the field and finishing with a game-high +27 plus-minus rating.
To many players across the league, this kind of stat line would come as a result of a career-best performance. For SGA, it's merely another night, and this sentiment has held strong since last year's sensational season.
Of course, as Thunder fans are all too aware, despite his on-court heroics and impact on overall team success in 2023-24 the 26-year-old fell shy of a bid for the NBA's illustrious MVP trophy, finishing second behind Nikola Jokic.
Now, during his follow-up 2024-25 run, it seems that he's once again projected to finish behind the Denver Nuggets superstar in such a race.
To Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Thunder running mate Jalen Williams, this is seen as an absolute travesty, as he sounded off on the All-Star's current standing in the MVP leaderboard following the guard's huge outing against Memphis.
Jalen Williams drops honest take on Thunder star's MVP candidacy
"Watch the games. It's pretty obvious. I don't know how he didn't get it last year so I don't know what to tell you. I'm there every day, I see it every day. I'm in the game. Just watch the game trust your eyes... Watch that sh*t. That's a bad man," Williams said of SGA's MVP candidacy.
Through 26 games played, the Thunder superstar finds himself en route to his third-straight All-Star and All-NBA nod while posting otherworldly averages of 31.0 points, 6.2 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks on 52.3 percent shooting from the floor.
To show just how tremendous this brand of production is, should the season end today Gilgeous-Alexander would be just the 10 player in league history to log 30 or more points in three consecutive seasons and the second to average at least 31.0 points, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals while shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.
The only other talent to put forth such numbers: Michael Jordan.
Yet, despite all this, the Thunder cornerstone once again sees himself trailing the centerpiece for the seventh-place Denver Nuggets (17-13)?
Following Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's latest explosion, Jalen Williams seems absolutely baffled that this is the case. Frankly, so, too, should the Thunder faithful!