5 ways Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can win 2024-25 NBA MVP

2. Finish top-three in steals per game

Though scoring may be the most eye-catching aspect of today's game, standout defenders will always receive praise from the old-timer voters who are more students of the game than anything else.

Showing he can be elite on both ends of the floor can only aid in improving his odds of receiving the Michael Jordan Trophy for himself in 2025, and, based on his career accomplishments through this point, he's more than capable of doing this, especially when it comes to the steals department.

Last season, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied with De'Aaron Fox for the most swipes recorded per game at 2.0. In turn, not only did this highlight his sensational length and defensive IQ, but it also helped lead the Thunder to the fourth-best defensive rating in the association.

While it may be hard to finish number one in steals for the second consecutive season, a top-three standing would likely suffice.

3. Set a new career-high in assists per game

It's evident that even with his tremendous productivity last season that witnessed both of the aforementioned points and steals be accomplished, in the end, it wasn't good enough to convince the voters to write his name down over all-world talent, Nikola Jokic.

Though unfair, perhaps the only way for the Thunder star to get over this hump is to go out and try and find a non-scoring or defensive metric to bring to new career highs -- after all, both of his averages in these departments last year were so amazing that even slightly-lesser numbers could still get him an MVP.

Because of this, perhaps the area Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may wish to focus on is distribution.

Considering their best pure set-up artist in Josh Giddey was offloaded this summer via the Alex Caruso blockbuster, Mark Daigneault's scheme will need to have someone on the roster step up and pick up the slack left behind by the former lottery-pick.

6.2 assists per game last year is certainly not anything to scoff at, but being every point guard since 2000-01 who has won MVP has dropped an average of 6.7 or higher, with all but Stephen Curry in 2016 seeing 7.7 or more, surpassing his 2023-24 productivity could only help.