5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
When a team has the best player in a series, they are far more likely to win. Of course, basketball is a team game, but having a guy like SGA who will go out there each night and get you and easy 30 piece is huge.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having an MVP-caliber season. He is the key factor for the Thunder winning the finals.
It isn’t an exact science, but if you look at the champions of the past, they all had a superstar. The Nuggets had Jokic, the Warriors had Curry and the Bucks had Giannis. To go on a deep playoff run, a team really needs that one guy. OKC has theirs.
SGA... oh my... #ThunderUp | @okcthunder | @BallySports 📺 pic.twitter.com/bTc2HaBxpG
— Bally Sports Oklahoma (@BallySportsOK) March 11, 2024
SGA is averaging 30.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists with great efficiency. As previously mentioned, he also leads the league in steals -- a two-way threat like that forces opponents to always be on their heels.
Gilgeous-Alexander has played postseason basketball twice before, so he is no stranger to the limelight. He’s averaged over 30 points per game for almost two seasons now, and, if he can keep it going into April, there is no reason the Thunder can’t go the distance.
Discounting Oklahoma City because of their age and experience is unfair and unrealistic. All of the pieces are there for the ball club to make a championship run. That leaves just one thing left for this young Oklahoma City squad: timing.