Miami Heat Prepare for Challenge of Guarding Oklahoma City Thunder Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Thunder point guard has been one of the best in the league this season.

 All eyes turn for the Miami Heat to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. 

He is averaging 31.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists and establishing himself as one of the NBA’s best players at his position. The league's third-leading scorer has reached 30 points in all but seven games this season.

He is coming off a 42-point game against the Dallas Mavericks. 

Gilgeous-Alexander is the center of attention for the Heat. He is the Thunder’s most prominent player since being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019. The Heat’s defensive strategy to isolate Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young in last year's playoffs will likely be replicated against Gilgeous-Alexander. 

No one else on the Thunder is averaging more than 15 points.

Jimmy Butler will be out for the game, leaving Bam Adebayo and the rest of the Heat to perform in his absence. In the Heat’s win against the Indiana Pacers Monday, Adebayo and Butler combined for nearly 50 percent of the offense. 

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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.