At this point, everyone knows how great OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is.
In just eight seasons in the association, the point guard has already cemented himself as a future Hall of Famer, what with his two straight league MVPs, an NBA Championship and Finals MVP, and his truly historic scoring efficiency.
And yet, at the same time, one could easily argue SGA's still a tad underrated.
While this may sound a bit odd considering the ridiculous resume highlights that were just rattled off, it seems that Gilgeous-Alexander is only really celebrated as a tremendous offensive weapon when, in actuality, he's one of the most lethal two-way talents the game currently has to offer.
In order to finally receive recognition for being such a player, it seems the Thunder cornerstone may need to add a new specific achievement to his already illustrious collection: being named to an NBA All-Defensive Team.
All-Defensive honor should give Thunder star recognition he deserves
In a way, the fact that the Thunder are absolutely stocked with elite defensive weapons could be seen as a bit of a disadvantage for Gilgeous-Alexander when it comes to receiving deserved credit for his own efforts on the less glamorous side of the ball.
After all, these past two seasons have seen two completely different sets of OKC players earning All-Defensive honors, with Lu Dort and Jalen Williams receiving nods in 2025 and Chet Holmgren and Cason Wallace getting theirs in 2026.
It seems his own top-notch production on this end has been lost in the shadows of the play from his slew of tremendous defensive running mates.
Gilgeous-Alexander deserves to be right up there in the conversation for the game's best defenders.
The numbers don't lie. This past season, the Thunder star finished with an objectively stellar defensive rating of 105.2 and ranked second in the league in defensive win shares (0.179) while holding opponents to a middling 43.0 percent field goal percentage and totaling 199 deflections.
With him on the floor, Oklahoma City placed in the 96 percentile in opponent points per 100 possessions and, thanks to his unmatched offensive dominance, averaged a plus-16.5 point-differential, which ranked in the 98 percentile.
Clearly, the advanced metrics show that Gilgeous-Alexander is more than just a dominant offensive player. Unfortunately, the masses only seem to care about accolades, which is why Shai should be hungry to be named to either the first or second All-Defensive teams to gain his rightful reputation of elite two-way star.
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