With every passing day, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to prove himself to be the franchise player Kevin Durant never was nor could be for the OKC Thunder.
From constantly making it a point to publicly and privately recognize his teammates' efforts to guiding the club to its first NBA Championship in history, the reigning league MVP has, without question, already cemented himself into the conversation of being Oklahoma City's GOAT player.
Following Tuesday's season tip-off directly against Durant and his new team, the Houston Rockets, it appears Shai has taken yet another step in the right direction in regard to this discussion and, in turn, away from No. 35.
Interestingly enough, however, it seems his demeanor post-game at the podium, and not necessarily just his play on the floor, helped lead the charge for this newfound distance between him and KD.
Shai takes high road when talking controversial no-call in Thunder opener
Aside from the exhilarating two overtimes that were ultimately played, one of the most noteworthy happenings from Tuesday's opener was the controversial no-call on Durant after he visibly called for a timeout in the final seconds of the first overtime when Houston had none to spare.
Per league rules, such an act should have resulted in a technical foul being assessed, followed by one free throw attempt and a change of possession. In other words, OKC should have been awarded a shot at the charity stripe and subsequently possession of the ball.
Instead, the officials did not make such a call, which led to the conclusion of the first overtime and, with the score tied at 115-115, the start of the second.
Fortunately, the Thunder were able to prevail despite such a blunder by the officiating team, as they went on to win the contest by a final score of 125-124. However, this didn't stop reporters from asking players post-game to share their thoughts about the potentially game-altering error made by the referees.
While it may have been easy to criticize the refs, Gilgeous-Alexander instead chose to take the high road, reminding people that everyone, including himself, is fallible.
"Kevin definitely called timeout. About three times verbally and physically with his hands. I just think the refs just missed it. That's life. You make mistakes in life, and you move on. Nothing too crazy. I turned the ball over a bunch tonight. Next possession, so same mentality for them. They didn't do it on purpose or anything," Gilgeous-Alexander said.
This is, at its core, yet another prime example of just how different Gilgeous-Alexander is from Durant, and why he's become the kind of superstar the Thunder have seemingly always coveted.
Unlike Shai, KD is someone who has regularly cast blame upon others more willingly than upon himself.
Let's not forget about the now infamous tweet where, thinking he was signed into one of his burner accounts, he thrashed the organization and his former teammates, essentially saying they were the reason for his exit.
Though SGA finishing with 35 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks while drawing a whistle and, in turn, earning the game-winning free throws on a forced foul on Durant may have proved him to be the superior player between the two at this point in time, his post-game remarks helped further solidify him as the superior leader as well.