Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's final MVP case revealed

With only a handful of days and two games remaining between now and the conclusion of the 2023-24 regular season, OKC Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finds himself running out of time to strengthen his odds of winning this year's NBA Most Valuable Player award.

Though it's already been widely acknowledged that the 25-year-old isn't all that concerned with claiming individual accolades and, instead, is primarily focused on achieving team-oriented goals, Oklahoma City fans and pundits alike are still eyeing the ladder board for the illustrious hardware on a daily basis.

Recently, Michael C. Wright of NBA.com revealed the closing arguments for each player in contention for the Michael Jordan Trophy this year, and, for SGA, he finds himself attached to quite a strong claim considering his team's successes, who he has as running mates, and, also, his recent ascension up the ladder board past Mavericks cornerstone Luka Doncic in recent weeks.

OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's final case for MVP

"Tough decision here, given all the momentum Luka Doncic generated with wins and eye-popping numbers while Gilgeous-Alexander missed six of OKC’s last nine games. SGA has still played three more contests than Doncic, leading a team of virtual unknowns into Western Conference contention."

- Michael C. Wright

All season long, Gilgeous-Alexander has been on an absolute tear both regarding his counting stats and on-court efficiency, and has been viewed as the the primary reason for why the Thunder have gone from a lottery team to a legitimate title contender in just a span of months.

Through 73 games played, the combo guard has posted truly legendary-esque numbers, as he's averaging 30.4 points, 6.2 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and just shy of a block on 53.9 percent shooting from the floor and 36.8 percent shooting from distance.

Digging even deeper, it has also been determined that SGA is truly magical when in clutch-time situations, as he boasts the highest field goal percentage (58.1) in the entire league (yes, even higher than Nikola Jokic) out of those who have scored a total of 100+ points within the final five minutes of a game.

From his astounding offensive numbers to his incredible defensive chops (leads the league in steals at 2.1 a game), Gilgeous-Alexander is a tried and true superstar in the association, and, even though Denver's head honcho is leading the charge in the odds department to claim his third MVP, there's a strong case to be made that the Thunder centerpiece is easily as deserving.

Regardless of what the outcome winds up being, he'll be known as the most valued player within the 405.