Bleacher Report recently made its selections for the best NBA Draft pick of the century at every first-round slot, and, to no surprise, OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is included.
Since 2000, there have been quite a few top-notch talents selected with the 11 overall pick. From perennial All-NBAers like Domantas Sabonis to tremendous role players such as Myles Turner, this particular mid-lottery selection has fared quite well for ball clubs over the years.
To writer Joey Akeley, the biggest debate for who to choose for his exercise was between Gilgeous-Alexander and Klay Thompson, which, frankly, is fair. After all, the former Splash Brother is a sure-fire future Hall of Famer, what with his five All-Star nods, four NBA Championships, and his fourth-most three-pointers made in NBA history (2,899).
However, at this point, it would have actually been borderline sacrilegious to have Klay take the primary spot over the Thunder cornerstone, and the accolades and all-time metrics only strengthen such a claim.
Thunder star undoubtedly the greatest 11 overall pick in NBA Draft
The career accomplishments speak for themself in this kind of debate.
At just 28 years old, Gilgeous-Alexander has become just the 14 player in history to win back-to-back NBA MVPs and the 11 player to win league and Finals MVP in the same season.
Currently, there are only two players to have ever accomplished these combined feats at his age: Michael Jordan and SGA.
On top of this already stellar-looking resume, Shai is in the process of establishing himself as one of the most efficient and consistent scoring weapons the game has ever seen.
Over the last four seasons with the Thunder, SGA has boasted averages of 31.3 points per game while sporting an absurd true shooting percentage of 64.0.
This past season, he went on to drop 31.1 points a night while splashing home on 55.3 percent of his attempts, the highest field-goal percentage by a guard averaging north of 30 points per game.
As great as Thompson was in his prime, he never found himself coming close to having the kind of on-court reputation that Shai has established for himself.
To Akeley, the case for Gilgeous-Alexander has evolved from simply being considered the best 11 overall pick of the 21st Century to, now, the greatest 11 pick of all time, which would move him past not only the likes of Thompson but also further back legends of the sport like Reggie Miller.
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