1) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
There should be no surprise that this list is headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Following a season where he was named to his first All-Star game and earned an All-NBA First-Team nod, SGA took his game to another level, even earning a Most Improved Player vote along the way.
Finishing the season averaging 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.0 steals and nearly a block a night, the superstar was deservingly named a finalist for Most Valuable Player
The last time a player averaged numbers in the same realm of SGA was Michael Jordan. While Nikola Jokic was the one who ended up coming away with the illustrious MVP trophy this season, Shai had a year to remember.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drops a playoff career-high 34 PTS as the @okcthunder take Game 4 to tie the series 2-2!
— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2024
34 PTS | 8 REB | 5 AST | 2 STL | 2 BLK
Game 5 is Wednesday night in OKC ⛈️ pic.twitter.com/FS1CbjDlRE
SGA did not just garner votes for the MVP and MIP awards but he was also named a finalist for Clutch Player of the Year and finished seventh in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Shai had the second-most points scored this season, behind just Luka Doncic, and he also finished in a tie for first in steals. He put his team on his back and helped lead the Thunder to the number-one seed in the Western Conference standings.
When Oklahoma City acquired SGA and a treasure trove of first round picks from the Clippers back in 2019, nobody could have imagined the superstardom that was to come from Gilgeous-Alexander.
Back in January, Paul George stated that “both sides won” when referring to the deal, which could not be further from the truth. While the Clippers have made some deep playoff runs, the future of Shai and the Thunder is unlimited.
Every player from one to thirteen served a crucial role in the Thunder having the magical season that they did. Basketball is a team sport, and there is no team where that is more apparent than this charismatic, young Thunder squad.