The Oklahoma City Thunder faced off with the Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday, and ahead of the action, the OKC Thunder organization presented Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with his December Western Conference Player of the Month award.
This marks the first Western Conference Player of the Month award in Gilgeous-Alexander's career. In December, Gilgeous-Alexander solidified his MVP candidacy as the max-contract guard and led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 10-3 record while knocking off some of the best teams in the association.
Watch as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives his December Western Conference Player of the Month Award ahead of Tuesday's game with Portland.
In the month of December, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander posted 32 points, five rebounds, six assists, and 3.8 STOCKS per game while shooting 55 percent from the floor, 26 percent from beyond the arc, and 88 percent at the charity stripe in 13 games.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receives his Western Conference Player of the Month award pic.twitter.com/HKaFTU324t
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) January 24, 2024
After finishing fifth in MVP voting a season ago, in which he earned his first All-Star nod, and landed on the All-NBA first team, Gilgeous-Alexander is picking up right where he left off.
His improved vision and passing skills are allowing him to take advantage of the improved scorers around him on this 2022-24 squad. Oklahoma City is currently a half-game back of the top seed of the Western Conference, pending the result against Portland.
This is largely due to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's MVP-level play, who should be in the driver's seat for this award.
In the video of Gilgeous-Alexander receiving this award, you also get a glimpse into how loose and fun the bond is between this roster. With Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams missing, Gilgeous-Alexander, Tre Mann, and Josh Giddey wrestling for a basketball, the vibes are high in Bricktown.
So far in the month of January, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has posted 30 points, five rebounds, six assists, and 1.8 STOCKS per game in 11 contests. Gilgeous-Alexander is shooting 55 percent from the floor, 35 percent from beyond the arc, and 84 percent at the charity stripe.
Already with wins over Utah, Boston, and Minnesota, the Thunder superstar is trying his best to repeat as the Western Conference Player of the Month.