The Whiteboard: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made an MVP statement

There were some dramatic performances in the first full slate of the NBA season but perhaps none as impressive as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. 

He helped lead the Thunder to a 124-104 rout of the Chicago Bulls, a victory so thoroughly dominating that it led to a players-only meeting for the Bulls after their first game of the season.

Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points on 12-of-18 from the field, along with 10 assists, 5 rebounds, a steal and 2 blocks. He was completely in control on offense, shifting smoothly between scoring and facilitating in a way that steadily drained the will from the Bulls' defense.

If he keeps playing like this, and there's every reason to think he can, he could find himself firmly in the middle of the MVP conversation.

No one can stay in front of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in drives last season at 23.9 per game, by far the highest mark since player-tracking systems first made this stat available at the beginning of the 2013-14 season.

He picked up right where he left off against the Bulls — 24 drives in 36 minutes, 7-of-9 shooting of those drives, two trips to the free throw line, 5 assists and just a single turnover. Four of those five assists went for 3-pointers, meaning his 24 drives produced 32 points — an absolutely absurd level of efficiency.

He was extremely aggressive to start the game, getting into the paint at will with long strides and savvy changes of pace. What makes his drives so devastating is his obscene ability to make difficult shots (he might be the best tough-shot maker in the NBA right now). He doesn't need to blow past defenders or create open lanes to the rim, he just needs to get into the teeth of the defense and close enough to do things like this.

As the game went along, the Bulls' defense became, understandably, twitchy, overreacting to his ever move. The end results were plays like this — a simple screen where both defenders jump to stay in front of Gilgeous-Alexander 25 feet from the basket, leaving Chet Holmgren completely alone.

When he did fully drive in the second half, he often drew the attention of all five defenders, making it fairly simple to find the open shooters.

The Thunder went 19-of-39 from beyond the arc against the Bulls and 30 of those 39 attempts were classified as wide-open by the NBA's player tracking system, meaning no defender was within six feet of the shooter. To put that number in context, the Thunder led the league in wide-open 3s per game last season at 21.8.

With all due respect to Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could establish himself as the NBA's premier offensive engine this season. His touch and finishing ability allow him to score over everyone and right now, absolutely no one is able to keep him from getting to his spots. And he's as adept as anyone at intentionally using his gravity to collapse the defense and find open teammates.

This is just one game but it's the continuation of a season-long trend from last year. The Thunder are building something special and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is in the middle, driving everything forward.

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James Harden is back in Philly, maybe for good?

After an extended 10-day absence through the end of the 76ers' preseason slate, James Harden finally returned to Philadelphia just before the team was set to leave for Milwaukee and tonight's season opener against the Bucks.

However, the 76ers told him to stay home and that he would not be playing in at least the first two games of the season. That's probably a justifiable position but it's not going to do anything to smooth ruffled feathers on either side.

On top of that, Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that the Clippers are "pausing" their pursuit of Harden now that the regular season has begun. With one major suitor off the table, any else even remotely interested in Harden will have more leverage on the 76ers and less incentive to increase their trade offer.

The status quo persists.

READ MORE:

• James Harden back with 76ers ahead of Thursday opener
  by Tim Bontemps, for ESPN
• NBA Rumors: 3 mystery teams who can out-bid Clippers for James Harden
  by Chris Kline, for FanSided

QUICK HITTER: Cade Cunningham and other big nights

There were a half-dozen great games last night and some of the most impressive performances came in close losses.

Cade Cunningham had 30 points, 9 assists and 3 rebounds in a 103-102 loss to the Miami Heat, his first game back since missing most of last season after shin surgery. He missed some tough shots in the fourth quarter but still finished with 9 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal in the quarter, helping lead the comeback to keep the game close.

Cam Thomas scored 36 points off the bench for the Nets in a 114-113 loss to the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell came up with the winning plays on the final few possessions but Thomas was ferocious attacking the basket and gave the Nets offense a huge boost.

Victor Wembanyama made his much-awaited debut, scoring 15 points with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. There were some rough points too — 5 fouls and 5 turnovers — but he showed why he was also incredibly impressive and made clear he's a rising star.

Anthony Edwards put up 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 97-94 loss to the Toronto Raptors, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to make 600 career 3-pointers. It was a rough shooting night overall (8-of-27 from the field) but you could see the energy, aggressiveness and confidence carrying over from his FIBA World Cup experience this summer.

Recommended Reading:

1. Rolling the dice on restricted free agency:" The 2023 offseason has seen a record number of rookie scale extensions signed. Fourteen eligible players put pen to paper, blowing by the previous record of 11, set last offseason. In total, teams spent $1.625 billion on rookie-scale extensions, with the average contract coming in at 4.2 years, $116.1 million. While teams have a clear appetite to lock up their young players for the foreseeable future, not everyone from the 2020 draft class was so lucky." Ranking the 8 best players who didn't sign rookie extensions 

2. The rich get obscenely richer:" Today, the average NBA team is worth $3.85 billion, an increase of 35% from a year ago and 75% higher than in 2019. And with the league set to rake in some $13 billion this season (before debt payments and revenue sharing), 23% more than last season, valuations are still heading skyward." The Most Valuable NBA Teams 2023

3. Say hello to the new boss, definitely not the same as the old boss: "And for a brief, three-minute burst in the fourth quarter on Wednesday, we caught a glimpse of the myriad ways Wemby can stun defenses with his combination of size and skill. A decisive alley-oop finish off a pick-and-roll with San Antonio’s second-most important player in Devin Vassell. A confident, unbothered pull-up 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of Lively (who himself has a not-insignificant 7-foot-8 wingspan). A quick-and-easy dunk off a hit-ahead pass from Tre Jones not five seconds into the shot clock. A midrange jumper over Grant Williams, with Wemby moving off the ball using a cross screen from Vassell."Victor Wembanyama’s Debut Offers a Fascinating Peek Into the Future