The OKC Thunder are officially back in the postseason after a long, lottery-filled hiatus, as they head into the festivities as the youngest number-one seed in NBA history.
Leading the charge all season for the club has been superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who, following up an astonishing 2022-23 campaign where he notched his first All-Star and All-NBA selections, had himself an ever more stellar 2023-24.
Through 75 games played, the 25-year-old managed to post numbers highly reminiscent of some of the game's greatest players, boasting averages of 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and just shy of a block while shooting 53.5 percent from the floor and 35.3 percent from distance.
With his counting stats and overall impact on this incredibly inexperienced team, Gilgeous-Alexander managed to guide a club that hadn't seen playoff action since the Lake Buena Vista Bubble in 2020 to the franchise's third-best record of 57-25 and, because of this, has seen his name consistently mentioned in MVP conversations throughout the year.
As things currently stand, the guard is in a three man race for the illustrious honor, with Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic and Denver Nuggets big Nikola Jokic both receiving strong consideration.
And while one could make a case for any one of these aforementioned players, SGA recently revealed to ESPN's Tim MacMahon who he believes deserves to be crowned the league's most valuable player and, surprise, surprise -- It's himself.
OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 'hopes' to win MVP
"I hope I get it, yes. I think all the guys are deserving, all have their case. Whatever happens, happens. But whoever gets it is deserving for sure."Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SGA wouldn't be denied down the stretch in OKC's win against the Kings ⛈️
— NBA (@NBA) April 10, 2024
40 PTS | 7 REB | 2 STL | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/VsOUVGtRMR
Time and time again, Gilgeous-Alexander has come up big down the stretch for the Thunder throughout their magical 2023-24 season, even leading the league in field goal percentage (58.1) in clutch-time situations compared to those who have scored a total of 100+ points within the final five minutes of a game.
Though Jokic currently slots in ahead of the OKC guard on the NBA's latest ladder board, hope is not yet lost on him finding a way to garner enough votes to take home the hardware.
Already, many high-profile voters have pledged their allegiance to Gilgeous-Alexander in the awards race. Perhaps others have and will follow suit.