KG and The Truth go back and forth about SGA and the Thunder
Entering his seventh season, 26-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is getting ready to hit the vortex of his NBA career. With a pair of All-Star and All-NBA nods in the last two seasons, the point guard has found his rhythm, and once that happens for elite athletes, there is rarely any turning back.
The franchise's growth is helping accelerate Shai's path to all-time greatness. SGA will lead the deepest roster he's ever had into battle in the upcoming season. With a treasure trove of ascending young stars on board-aka Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams-the team is positioned for many years of title contention.
Last season, he led his team to 57 regular-season wins. In the upcoming campaign, he'll have two more weapons in Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, whom the Thunder picked up in back-to-back weeks of a busy NBA offseason.
Considering all of the above, the expectations on the guard's shoulders have to be weighty.
Ready to respond to the pressure?
With OKC predicted to be a leading Finals contender in the Western Conference and Shai projected as a potential MVP, the spotlight is on SGA to deliver-but how much pressure does he face?
Two NBA Hall of Famers, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, disagreed on this during a recent episode of "ALL THE SMOKE."
Pierce initially listed players he thinks are under the "most pressure" in the upcoming season, including Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards, but didn't mention Shai.
KG, Pierce's co-host and former Boston Celtics teammate, wouldn't have it. "You gotta throw Shai in there," Garnett told Pierce.
"Naw, he is still super young. Ain't no pressure on him right now," Pierce replied.
"The [expletive] are you talking about, P?" KG cracked. "[The Thunder] won the West last year, P. If you are talking about Anthony Edwards, you gotta throw Shai in there. What are you talking about, bro? OKC gets so much disrespect, bro."
"[The Thunder] are just a young team that you just ain't looking at them like that," Pierce persisted. "Like, Dallas, I look at them; they just made a title run and lost. Minnesota was right there with Dallas. Most people picked Minnesota to beat Dallas [in the 2024 WCF]."
With success comes pressure
There still may be a difference of opinion regarding the Thunder, which is typical for a team new to the league's hierarchy of championship contenders. It will take at least one more year of winning many regular-season games and a deep postseason run for fans - and pundits like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett - to agree on just how good Oklahoma City is.
As that happens, the pressure on Shai will inevitably mount, which is expected for the best player on a title contender and, frankly, for someone who will continue making a case for the best player in the NBA.
Add to that the players to whom SGA has been-and will continue-drawing comparisons: Edwards, who is 23, and Doncic, who is 25. Both players are the faces of a Western Conference powerhouse and led their teams to a deeper finish in the postseason than Gilgeous-Alexander.
There is stiff competition among these three players, and all face pressure to deliver. However, he may face the most pressure because SGA has the strongest supporting cast of the three and has never reached the Western Conference Finals.
Related: Ronnie 2K discusses OKC Thunder, SGA, as a future cover athlete in a recent interviewThis story was originally published September 22, 2024, 8:12 AM.
