Lu Dort Says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Can be One of the 'Greatest Players' Ever

Lu Dort shares high praise of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as he continues to get even better as his career develops.
Lu Dort Says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Can be One of the 'Greatest Players' Ever
Lu Dort Says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Can be One of the 'Greatest Players' Ever /
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -- despite any concern from the Thunder fanbase -- has been the cornerstone of Oklahoma City's rebuild. He was the player they traded for in 2019 when they departed from Paul George, which naturally led to a rebuild after a Russell Westbrook trade.

The Thunder remained steadfast that Gilgeous-Alexander was going to be the guy throughout the rebuild, and that much has been true. Still, no one -- not even the Thunder -- could have projected Gilgeous-Alexander to make this much progress so early in his career. 

From a former No. 11 overall pick to a potential MVP candidate at just 25-years-old, Gilgeous-Alexander has made absurd progress year over year. He is coming off a First Team All-NBA season and continues to impress. 

Lu Dort, a good friend and teammate of Gilgeous-Alexander's, had some high praise for the All-Star guard on Tuesday at practice.

“Y’all seen the way he’s playing right now. I feel like he can keep that going… He can be one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” Dort said of Gilgeous-Alexander while talking to the media

Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 30.7 points per game on 56 percent shooting -- some absurd efficiency for his scoring volume as a guard. He adds 5.7 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.8 steals per game, too, showing versatility and elite two-way play. 

Impacting the game all around, Gilgeous-Alexander has led to Thunder to a 17-8 record through 25 games, having them as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference through the first quarter of the season. 

On a nightly basis, Gilgeous-Alexander continues to build an MVP resume for himself, which includes a game-winner over the Denver Nuggets last Saturday, which can be considered an MVP moment later in the season. 

As Gilgeous-Alexaner continues to improve, so does the Thunder's ceiling as a team. Jalen Williams' breakout last season and Chet Holmgren being a high-impact player in his first season both help, too, as they elevate his game. 


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Kade Kimble
KADE KIMBLE

Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022.