Just how good is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

[John8204]

I think he's massively overrated if people are thinking he's as good as peak Kobe or Wade.

Wade is becoming the Isiah Thomas of a certain generation of men.

I don't like giving SGA the MVP but top seed with three back to back seasons with 30 PPG

[StrongLurk]

He needs to be judged in THIS era only, since we've entered a new era of basketball since 2021 (2017-2020 was the transition phase).

SGA has been REALLY good the last 2 and 1/2 regular seasons, but we clearly need to see him do more in the playoffs. He hasn't proven himself (yet) to be ranked in the same tier as a Jokic, Giannis, Luka, or even Embiid.

I want to say SGA is better than Tatum, but Tatum has done a lot more and they are both the same age (26).

[iamgine]

He's currently the #1 guard so far. #2 overall after Jokic.

[ILLsmak]

He's on pace to be the first guard to shoot 60% from 2pt. Back-2-back 30 ppg seasons with 2+ steals per game. He's currently on his way for his third straight season averaging over 30 ppg 5 assists per game and 5 rebounds per game adding 2 steals per game (last season as well as this season). He basically needs 1 mvp and a ring to be ahead of Wade. He's better than D Wade, sorry. He's also more efficient than Kobe ever was.

hehe

Edit: Not gonna argue if you say he's on PACE but that's not what you said. I dunno why people have to go off the rails to compliment a player. D Wade was an ATG SG, so was Kobe. Those guys are on the mount rushmore. Keep that in mind.

-Smak

[3ba11]

SGA is just another low-assisted 1st option (ball-dominator), which has never produced the best basketball (dynasty or dominant champion)... The "best basketball" can be defined as dominant champions that averaged 1 loss per round or less (4 losses max), or dynasties that mostly won for a material stretch of 5+ years (i.e. 3 in 5 years).

Accordingly, since possession-tracking began in 1997, 1st options with a career assisted rate above 40% (jumpshooters or bigs) were 1st option for 12 of 12 dynasties or dominant champions (the best basketball).. Otoh, 1st options with a career assisted rate below 40% (ball-dominators) were never 1st option for the best basketball (0 for 12).

Since the best jumpshooters and bigs produce the best basketball, they're superior to the best ball-dominators, so the first ball-dominators appear in the all-time rankings at 11th, 12th, and 13th (Magic, Lebron, Oscar).. The issue is that low-assisted 1st options have a high volume of unassisted buckets that hinders ball movement, while highly-assisted 1st options produce higher-assist teams and foster the great ball movement that every dynasty has.

The full rankings are MJ, Kareem, Russell, Wilt, Kobe, Bird, Duncan, Shaq, Curry, Jokic, Magic, Lebron, Oscar - the 2nd thru 10th spots are more interchangeable and subjective, but it's set in stone that MJ is #1 and ball-dominators are no higher than 11th, based on the previous logic that ball-dominators are never the 1st option for the best basketball (dynasties or dominant champions).

[ShawkFactory]

If Chet can remain healthy (a big if at this point) then OKC absolutely has a dynasty brewing. This is like their 2015 Warriors campaign.

If they can add one more rebounder off the bench then they'll be an unstoppable team.

[Street Hunger]

I think many of us in the basketball fan world thought of him as like a second tier type of star sort of like a lower tier All Star but he's clearly an upper tier star now.

Realistically how many guards are better than him these days