Shai Gilgeous-Alexander responds to Kevin Durant's recent comments on Thunder

Last week, current Phoenix Suns superstar and former OKC Thunder centerpiece Kevin Durant dished on the current state of his ex-employers, drawing parallels to how they've constructed a formula with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren leading the charge similar to how he, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden did during their respective tenures.

Following Sunday's bout between the two clubs, where Oklahoma City managed to pull out a hard-fought 118-110 victory while on the road in the valley, SGA himself was asked during his postgame presser if he agrees with the alluded comparison.

Though he certainly went on to praise the three all-time greats, the budding superstar made it a point to highlight differences in this core compared to the one Thunder fans rooted for during the late-aughts through the early 2010s.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander responds to Kevin Durant's Thunder remarks

"I think there's three of them and there's three of us that are obviously a talented group of guys but I don't really think our games compare to theirs. Those guys are three amazing basketball players and have done amazing things with this game and have changed the game forever. Me, Chet, and [Jalen are just] three kids just trying to get better and trying to chase some of the things that they've achieved and trying to ultimately win an NBA championship."

- Shai Gilegous-Alexander

Though it's entertaining to talk about putting this top-trio of Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren, and Williams in the same conversation as Durant, Westbrook, and Harden, the 25-year-old made it a point to separate this current core from those that have come before which, in a sense, makes them even more exciting, especially considering KD's club failed to take home the illustrious Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Perhaps something that may wind up being a direct link to the old foundation and the new is Gilgeous-Alexander's potential to win the league's MVP award, which would group him in with all three of the aforementioned stars who have each earned such hardware themselves.

As things currently stand, the guard is second in the running only behind Nikola Jokic, as he's averaging 31.2 points, 6.5 assists, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and just shy of a block on 54.8 percent shooting from the floor and 38.2 percent from deep.

As things currently stand, the Thunder register in as the top seed in the Western Conference standings with a record of 42-18 and, with their win over Phoenix, are .5 games ahead of the surging Minnesota Timberwolves and are en route to clinching their first playoff berth since 2020.