BBNBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Electrifies in Opening Night Win
Last season Shai Gilgeous-Alexander became an All-Star and finished fourth among NBA scoring leaders with 31.4 points per game. The Oklahoma City Thunder overachieved by winning 40 games and many young stars emerged (while another, Chet Holmgren, rehabbed on the sidelines).
All signs pointed sky high for all of OKC as SGA then dominated in the FIBA World Cup with Team Canada over the summer. An offseason SLAM magazine cover capped off the hype train rolling into Thunder country. One question remained for NBA journalists and fans alike, at 25 years old, how much better can Shai truly get?
Heart over hype
Even since his time at Kentucky, the former four-star recruit was overlooked by those around him. Kentucky staff marveled at Hamidou Diallo, Quade Green, Nick Richards, and EJ Montgomery entering the 2017-18 college basketball season. By March one thing became certain, that kid from Toronto, Canada can BALL.
Now in SGA’s sixth season in the NBA, he has emerged as one of the best guards in the entire world. At 6-foot-6, his lanky frame and outstanding understanding of the game reach new heights every night. The Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pace is implored as Thunder fans gawk at his ability to slow down a game all around him.
In Wednesday night’s season-opening matchup against the Chicago Bulls, it was more of the same for SGA. He exploded for 31 points on 12-18 shooting along with 10 assists and five rebounds in 36 minutes for the Thunder in a 124-104 victory. Shai went to work on a solid Chicago squad, making good defensive guards look lost. His handles have only improved since last season, and the mid-range is as deadly as ever.
As crazy as it sounds, the play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is almost starting to resemble that of taller Allen Iverson. Deep crossovers to a spot up mid-range draped by coverage. Except, as mentioned before, SGA is 6-foot-6 — with those handles… gross.
Look for SGA to compete for the scoring title this year, and if Holmgren, Lou Dort, Jalen Williams, and Josh Giddey continue to develop, the Thunder could make plenty of noise in the Western Conference.
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P.J Washington, Immanuel Quickley show offseason improvements
25 points on 11-12 from inside of the arc from PJ Washington is beyond impressive. Match that with a Hornets opening night win over the Atlanta Hawks, and Charlotte fans are buzzing about the development of Washington.
As seen in the past couple of seasons, Washington has the green light for the Hornets. It seems head coach Steve Clifford trusts what Washington can bring alongside LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller this season.
Elsewhere in the East, Julius Randle struggled as the New York Knicks fell to the Boston Celtics 108-104 in Madison Square Garden. However, his Knicks teammate Immanuel Quickley impressed with 24 points on 28 minutes off the bench.
Quickley has been getting immense buzz around the league for a potential sixth-man-of-the-year-caliber season. In fact, Quickley holds the best odds to win Sixth Man of the Year as of Thursday with +650 over at FanDuel. If IQ continues to impress, it will be hard for New York fans to watch him start every game on the bench.
Also, Scaramento Kings guards Malik Monk and De’Aaron Fox combined for this SC Top 10 moment.
10/25/2023 Statistics:
| Player | Score | PTS | FG (3PT) | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | +/- | MIN |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) | 124-104 W @ CHI | 31 | 12-18 (2-5) | 5 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 36 |
| PJ Washington (CHA) | 116-110 W vs. ATL | 25 | 12-18(1-6) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 32 |
| Immanuel Quickley (NYK) | 104-108 L vs. BOS | 24 | 7-11(5-7) | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 28 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 103-102 W vs. DET | 22 | 7-13(0-0) | 8 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 | 32 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 94-97 L @ TOR | 19 | 8-25(2-10) | 10 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -1 | 36 |
| De’Aaron Fox (SAC) | 130-114 W @ UTA | 18 | 6-18 (1-7) | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 33 |
| Keldon Johnson (SAS) | 126-119 L vs MAV | 17 | 7-15 (1-3) | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 32 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 103-102 W vs. DET | 16 | 7-24(2-7) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 35 |
| Julius Randle (NYK) | 104-108 L vs. BOS | 14 | 5-22 (3-8) | 11 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | -13 | 34 |
| Shaedon Sharpe (POR) | 111-123 L @ LAC | 14 | 6-14 (1-6) | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 28 |
| Cason Wallace (OKC) | 124-104 W @ CHI | 13 | 5-5 (3-3) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 19 |
| Malik Monk (SAC) | 130-114 @ UTA | 10 | 4-12 (2-9) | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 23 |
| Nick Richards (CHA) | 116-110 W vs. ATL | 7 | 2-2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -14 | 18 |
| Isaiah Jackson (IND) | 143-120 W vs. WAS | 4 | 2-4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| Olivier Sarr (OKC) | 124-104 W @ CHI | 4 | 1-1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| Trey Lyles (SAC) | 130-114 W @ UTA | DNP-Calf | ||||||||
| Oscar Tshiebwe (IND) | 143-120 W vs. WAS | DNP-CD | ||||||||
| Brandon Boston Jr. (LAC) | 123-111 W vs POR | DNP-CD |
Tonight in the NBA:
- 7:30 PM (TNT) | 76ers (Maxey) @ Bucks (Livingston, Washington Jr.)
- 10:00 PM (TNT) | Suns (Booker) @ Lakers (Davis, Vanderbilt)
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