What is the next thing for Shai Gilgeous-Alxander?
Shai Gilgeous Alexander comes from having the season that every player dreams of having. In his septimp year in the NBA, he was scoring champion, MVP, his team won the championship and he was the most valuable player of the finals.
Shai Gilgeous Alexander comes from having the season that every player dreams of having. In his seventh season in the NBA, the Canadian was the scoring champion, the most valuable player, his team won the championship and he was the most valuable player of the finals.
This, with 26 years, when the best years of his career have not yet arrived.
Is this the best version we saw of SGA? What need to improve to be considered as the best NBA player? Our experts replenish this and other questions.
1. Reality or fiction: We already saw the best version of SGA.
Reality: The base of the Oklahoma City Thunder achieved all last season and was a key piece for the Thunder to take the NBA championship, if that is not the best vegetable that a player can have today, then we would probably be before a new MJ, which sounds exaggerated.
SGA arrived in this version after a maturity process in the NBA and had the fortune of being the pillar of a group led by Coach Mark Daigneault, who has managed to enhance the talent of the Canadian.
However, it looks complicated that for the season that is about to begin, it exceeds its percentage of effectiveness in triples (37.5%) or field shooting (51.9%) and not because it does not have the capacity, but because year after year, the new values and competitiveness of the NBA make the Caminod close so that a player improves their level; Keeping it seems more accessible, moving in that range of percentages, but going further sounds unlikely. –Rolando del Bosque
Fiction. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander comes from having a dream season that was crowned with the NBA title and was chosen as the MVP both of the regular season and the finals. However, we cannot accept that you have reached your roof.
Without being a spectacular player, Shai has proven to be extremely efficient. This is reflected by their statistics: of the 21.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 robberies and 37.5% of triple effectiveness in regular season, improved in playoffs at levels of averaging 29.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.7 robberies.
Where can that improvement go? Undoubtedly, experience will help you improve game reading, also to reduce the average of lost balls and to consolidate your leadership. Do not expect that you are surprised by adding spectacularity to your game, nor that your statistics constantly improve, but that quality of being a complete and efficient player strengthens the game. The best is yet to come. -Marcelo Bousquet
2. A statistic of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the way to 2025-26
37.5. Its percentage from the arc, perhaps one of the most underestimated statistics of the Thunder star. If launches for 74.3 % from 0-3 feet, 57.2 % of two points and generated more than 12 trips to the line per game, it is not like SGA need to improve its three shot to be effective. But not only has he improving his percentage from Saturn, but did it by launching more times last season.
After launching for an extraordinary 41.8 % in 170 attempts in 2020-21, it fell to 30 % in 297 the following season. From there it improved 34.5 (168 attempts) in 2022-23 and 35.3 (269 attempts). In his MVP season, he made the greatest number of attempts at his career with 435.
The numbers say that it already has confidence in that shot, which makes it more dangerous wherever it stops. At 27, it only remains to continue refining, unfortunately from its rivals. -Hiram Martínez
3. The best version of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2025-26 would be …
The one that looks like the almost perfect machine that dominated in the last playoffs, maintaining its high degree of efficiency in attack and its permanent predisposition to defend.
In addition, continue to put over all the interests of the team before personal lucidities.
In other words: beyond improving your statistics, which will show your best version will be the fact of perfecting your collection of attributes to lead your team, to continue preaching with the example, to remain decisive both in attack and defense.
The Thunder has left champion following the example of its leader. And if that example is reaffirmed by match, then Oklahoma City Thunder will have plenty of reasons not only to try to add another championship, but also to become the new NBA dynasty. -Marcelo Bousquet
4. The worst version of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in 2025-26 would be …
That in which his way of playing changes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was MVP both of the regular season and the NBA finals in 2024-2025 with a combination of simplicity, seriousness and commitment on both sides of the court.
What looks most is its attack, with the resurgence of the middle -rank shot as the main tool and the penetration towards the hoop as a solution to the pressing defenses. However, his defense is decisive: as a team leader, he infects his classmates and is part of a granite fortress to protect the basket.
If all that led him to be the main actor of the champion, why change? It is true, there will be even more attention to him. Then, he will be forced to distribute the ball more. – Pablo Cormick
5. What do you need to do SGA to be considered the best NBA player?
Maybe Jokic retires? The reality is that Gilgeous-Alexander would be considered the best player right now for not being for the presence of the Nuggets pivot. So what can SGA do to overcome Jokic? Well, the OKC base comes from completing one of the best most impressive individual/collective seasons in the NBA history, between the Thunder championship, MVP trophies, their raw statistics and the visual test on the court.
More than the same would help the case of SGA, especially if he gets the second title that would be one more in his curriculum than what Jokic or Giannis has and two about Luka or Ant.
Individually, there is still space to improve triple and it would seem logical that their average assistance increases as their colleagues continue to improve. But more than anything, a second title is what would close the gap with the three times MVP of Denver. -Victor O. López
