Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma believes Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a top-5 guard in the NBA right now.
In 13 starts this season, the Thunder guard is averaging 31.5 points, 2.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks, along with 4.4 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 53.9% from the field and 37.8% from beyond the arc.
On some NBA betting sites, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the 19th best odds to win the MVP in 2023. Few sportsbooks are showing better odds for LeBron James and Devin Booker.
Kyle Kuzma says he believes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder is a “top-5 guard” in the NBA right now. High praise.
— Chase Hughes (@ChaseHughesNBCS) November 15, 2022
Of course, Jayston Tatum, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid have top-5 odds to win the MVP this season.
“Shay is killing it this year,” Kyle Kuzma said. “First in the NBA in drives, it’s downhill, it’s super slick, it’s going at incredible speed. He’s probably a top-5 guard in the NBA. To me, he’s a fantastic player.”
Additionally, the Kentucky product has scored at least 30 points in nine games so far this season. He hasn’t finished with a double-double or triple-double yet, but the guard still has a lot of time.
Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson and James Harden are the only players in NBA history to average a 31/4/5/2 stat line per season. If the Thunder guard continues to play this impressively for the rest of the season, he will join these three players.
Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder is a top-5 guard in the NBA.
Since the 1975-76 season, only three players have won MVP after their team failed to win at least 50 games in a season: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1976, Moses Malone in 1979 and 1982, and Russell Westbrook in 2017.
Gilgeous-Alexander also has a career-high Player Efficiency Rating of 29 and a career-best 63.3% true shooting percentage. He ranks fifth in the NBA in points per game so far this season.
The Thunder guard also ranks fourth in points (410), first in 2-point field goals made (137), first in field goals made (152), and sixth in field goal percentage (32.6%).
Kyle Kuzma Will Have to Shed His Answer About Shay Gilgeous-Alexander to Be Part of Wizards’ Collapse Squad pic.twitter.com/pfxcBw8g29
— Hoop District (@Hoop_District) November 15, 2022
Even if he doesn’t win the MVP in 2023, Gilgeous-Alexander is on track to receive his first All-Star and All-NBA selections in his five-year career. He broke new ground.
At least Kyle Kuzama is proud of him.
Last season, in 56 starts, the guard averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 boards, 5.9 assists and 1.3 steals. Not to mention, he shot 45.3% from the floor and 30% from 3-point range.
During the 2021-22 season, the Oklahoma City guard also recorded six double-doubles and one triple-double.
For more in-depth stats, the Thunder outscored their opponents by 3.1 points per 100 possessions with Gilgeous-Alexander on the court.
By comparison, he’s tied with Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (3.5) and ahead of Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (1.1). Needless to say, these are all MVP-worthy numbers.
For Thunder fans, Kyle Kuzma said what they already knew.
