Charles Barkley Compares Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to Kawhi Leonard

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are back on the hardwood for the regular season.

Oct 24, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) before the game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder are back on the hardwood as they take on the Denver Nuggets in a late-night showdown on TNT. It's only fitting the club opens on national TV after an arrival as a contender a season ago.

The two squads hoist an MVP finalist from a season ago, too, making this an intruiging matchup to kick off a new NBA season. The "Inside the NBA" crew also gets a big chance to sing the praises of the two teams playing.

At halftime, after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting while playing well into the team's system as the Thunder led 58-51. Charles Barkley took to the halftime show to make a strong Gilgeous-Alexander comparison.

"He kinda reminds me of Kawhi Leonard in his prime. He never rushes. He goes at his own pace all the time," Barkley said.

This analysis is nothing new for Gilgeous-Alexander. Since developing into a superstar, he's been able to control entire games using the control of pace he has. The MVP finalist from a season ago plays at his own speed no matter what a defense will throw at him.

This season, the Thunder superstar is sure to be in the MVP conversation once again. With Oklahoma City being a contending squad, Gilgeous-Alexander being the best version of himself while elevating the team does plenty for his MVP resume.

Playing on national TV, the rest of the NBA world gets to see just how spectacular the Thunder guard truly is, and how well he can dictate an entire game with his change of speed. Leonard is a two-time champion and a two-time Finals MVP, so a comparison there is quite strong from Barkley.

If Gilgeous-Alexander can achieve in his career what Leonard has, that'd be a true success.

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