Jalen Williams isn’t holding back on his MVP pick — it’s his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Thunder are clearly the best team in the Western Conference at the moment, going 59-12 (.831 winning percentage) during the first 71 games of the season. They’re more than 13 games ahead of the second-best team in the West and are on pace for 68 wins this season — which would be a major increase over the 57 wins they posted last season.
Leading the charge is none other than their 26-year-old star, who is averaging an NBA-leading 33.0 points per game.
”I think he’s the MVP,” Williams told Basketball Insiders in an exclusive interview on behalf of his partnership with AT&T. “Obviously I’m his teammate, so I’m very inclined to say that. From what I see, the amount of Michael Jordan comparisons and the accolades and all that, I think it would be a very big disservice to him if he’s not the MVP, just based on what he’s been able to accomplish this year.”
The 6-foot-6 point guard is averaging career highs when it comes to points, assists (6.2), free-throw attempts (8.1) and field goal attempts (21.6) per game. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s managed to lead the Thunder to an even better season as the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed despite missing key players such as Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein to long stretches due to injury.
”You look at him last year and everybody kind of had the question, what else could he possibly do to improve?” says Williams. “Obviously he comes into this year twice as good as he was last year. I think that’s testament to how hard he works and how much better he’s able to get, just through his years to look at his progression as a player, which is something I think every athlete — basketball or not — you always wanna get better every year.
“The fact that he’s able to do that at an MVP-caliber play every year is very impressive,” Williams continues.
Williams: Gilgeous-Alexander Resembles MJ and Kobe, But Has Unique Style
Gilgeous-Alexander finished second in MVP voting last season to three-time MVP winner Nikola Jokic, who just so happens to be his chief competition for the award again this season. Jokic’s Nuggets aren’t nearly as good as the Thunder in the standings, but he’s having an amazing season as he’s averaging a triple-double with 29.1 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game.
Jokic also recently posted the NBA’s first-ever 30-point, 20-rebound, 20-assist game. However, Gilgeous-Alexander is considered the betting favorite.
”It’d be dope to see him get it,” says Williams. “Obviously Jokic is having a really good season as well. But I think just having the youngest team in the NBA and still doing what he’s doing, I think he (Gilgeous-Alexander) should be MVP. Obviously we have the best record in the West two years in a row.”
There are only two players in NBA history to average a triple-double over the course of the season and that’s Oscar Robertson along with Russell Westbrook, who did it on four occasions. Whether right or wrong, what may work against Jokic is the fact that he won the award last season and that he’s won three out of the past four seasons.
The idea of voter fatigue is very real and when you factor in that Gilgeous-Alexander has led the best team in the West for the past two seasons while finishing as the runner-up last season, it may be his time to win the award.
When asked who he would compare his All-Star teammate to, Williams says no one. The 23-year-old says Gilgeous-Alexander is carving out his own legacy to the point where other players will be compared to him.
”I think he has exceeded player comparisons,” says Williams. “I think he’s going to be somebody that you compare your game to later on. I don’t know if he plays like anyone that truly reminds me of anybody.
“Everybody says he’s kind of like Michael Jordan and Kobe, but I don’t think we’ve really seen somebody move the way Shai has, and I think he resembles those players a little bit,” Williams continues to say. “Shai is going to be somebody that you probably end up comparing your game to.”
