After winning 57 games and securing the number-one seed in the Western Conference last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, have taken another massive step forward this season.
The Thunder have the second-best overall record in the NBA, only behind the Cleveland Cavaliers. And now, sitting with a record of 51-11 and atop the Western Conference, they are poised for a deep postseason run this season.
Finishing second to Denver's Nikola Jokic in MVP voting last season, SGA has put together a phenomenal season so far, and it appears as if he's well on his way to winning the first MVP of his career.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's stats to begin the 2024-25 season
In 61 games this season, SGA is averaging 32.8 points (career-high), 6.2 assists (career-high), 5.1 rebounds and is shooting a blistering 52.6 percent from the field (career-high) and 37.8 percent from behind the arc. Adding to his impressive numbers, he's doing it on both sides of the ball, averaging 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks, and his PER is 31.1 (career-high).
SGA has turned into one of the best players and scorers in the NBA over the last handful of seasons, but where he's taken the biggest leap in his game is his ability to knock down shots from the perimeter.
Through the first 32 games of this season, he was shooting around the league average of 35.0 percent from distance. That number has improved drastically since the beginning of the new calendar year, and he's not slowing down anytime soon.
SGA's stats since the start of 2025
Since Jan. 1 SGA is averaging 34.4 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.6 rebounds while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from 3. Over that stretch, he's shooting 45.2 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s and 40.2 percent on pull-ups from deep, according to NBA advanced stats and research.
The numbers only continue to get more impressive when you take it a step further. Over the last 28 games, SGA is shooting 43.8 percent from long range with the closest defender within 2 to 4 feet (tight), 40.6 percent with the nearest defender within 4 to 6 feet (open), and 43.6 percent from 3 with 6+ feet (very open) of space from the nearest defender.
SGA has himself and the team collectively playing at an elite level, and if he continues this hot shooting streak to close out the season, it's going to be difficult for voters not to select him as the MVP this season.